Minister for Finance insists government will "move heaven and earth" for elderly facing eviction

Minister for Finance Michael McGrath has insisted that the government is prepared to “move heaven and earth” to assist older renters who face eviction.

His statement in today’s Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil comes after research published by housing charity Threshold, along with ALONE – the charity supporting elderly people. The joint report examined a mix of existing data, interviews with 31 older renters and qualitative interviews with 22 representatives of specialist organisations across statutory, voluntary, property-owner and academic backgrounds.

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— alone_ireland (@ALONE_IRELAND) May 11, 2023

As a result, it found that approximately a quarter of older renters expected to remain in the private rental sector, feeling as though they had no other options available to them.

The report titled, The Double Deficit: Older and Ageing Persons in the Irish Private Rental Sector, outlined considerable deficits that existed within the rental sector that failed to meet the needs of elderly renters in the country.

42% of those interviewed experienced high stress levels which centred around uncertainty with their accommodation, reporting that the stress was affecting all aspects of their lives.

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— alone_ireland (@ALONE_IRELAND) May 11, 2023

Over half of the respondents were in receipt of HAP (Housing Assistance Payment), with 17% of those reporting that landlords were either reluctant to accept it, or in some stances, flat-out refused.

Minister McGrath, speaking in the Dáil today, said the issue would be dealt with seriously, and Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien would be considering the report’s findings.