Sinn Féin spokesperson on Social Protection, Claire Kerrane TD, has welcomed news that Rent Supplement will be made permanently available to survivors of domestic violence.

Teachta Kerrane has been raising the issue with Minister Humphreys since May.

Speaking this morning, Teachta Kerrane said:

“I welcome news this morning that Rent Supplement will be made available permanently to survivors of domestic violence.

“This is an issue I had raised with Minister Humphreys during Revised Estimates in Committee last May. She had agreed that it was an important support and it would be looked at.

“I was concerned that access to Rent Supplement has previously placed unnecessary demands on domestic violence survivors and this risked unfairly excluding people who needed support. It is very welcome that the Minister has now listened to these concerns and has acted.

“In 2020 a total of 46 survivors of domestic violence availed of Rent Supplement support at a cost of just €73,000. This is a very small cost to the Department of Social Protection, given its Budget allocation.

“I know that access to housing and housing costs can be a huge worry when a person is contemplating leaving a domestic situation.

“There is also an obvious difficulty given the limited spaces in refuges and the fact that nine Counties have no domestic violence refuge accommodation at all. This makes Rent Supplement supports even more important.”