AN €800 tax-free monthly cash boost paid out to thousands of Irish households is set to be cut in days.
The Accommodation Recognition Payment, which is for homeowners in Ireland who provide accommodation to people fleeing the war in Ukraine, is expected to be slashed by €200 on March 31.
It is understood that the scheme, which is due to expire at the end of the month, will be extended but the current rate will be decreased.
The ARP was extended in line with the extension of the EU Temporary Protection Directive, a special procedure to deal with a “mass influx” of people in need of international protection.
The TPD was activated in Ireland in response to the war in Ukraine and has been extended to March 2026.
And although the final decision has not yet been made on the ARP scheme, the government is reviewing its extension after the expansion of the TPD law.
Over 22,500 hosts have received the ARP in respect of 51,000 Ukrainian refugees since its launch in March 2022.
The scheme originally provided a monthly rate of €400 when first introduced, but this was increased to €800 per month in December 2022 after the government struggled to find housing for Ukrainians.
Over €256m has been paid out to host across Ireland since the launch of the payment three years ago.
Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Norma Foley said last month: “As the TPD is now extended to March 2026, consideration is being given to the extension of the ARP scheme.
“Resolutions must be passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas before this order is made.
“A decision will be reached in respect of the ARP shortly.”
There is currently no date confirmed for when the scheme will be discussed in the Dail but a motion has been presented by the government in relation to extending the payment.
A spokesperson for the Department of Children and Integration said the future of the scheme will be “considered in the context of the continued whole of Government response to the war in Ukraine“.
It puts other renters, including people who might be on lower incomes, at a severe disadvantage.”
Sinn Fein’s Matt Carthy
It is understood that both Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan and Children’s Minister Norma Foley are engaging on the future of the scheme, with the responsibility of the Integration Office set to transfer over to the Department of Justice.
Angie Gough, cofounder of Helping Irish Hosts – an organisation that supports hosts and their Ukrainian guests – told RTE that they want the payment to be extended for 12 months.
She added: “We need a clear messaging around what happens next for people.”
However, Sinn Fein has urged the government to end the scheme on March 31.
WHO QUALIFIES FOR ARP?
THE monthly ARP of €800 is paid per property, not for each person hosted.
Those who qualify must:
- be aged 18 or over
- provide (or have provided) accommodation to a person or people who arrived in Ireland under the EU Temporary Protection Directive
- have provided the host accommodation in Ireland and have a valid Eircode
- be the owner of or a tenant in the host accommodation being provided and have the consent of any other owners or tenants
- declare that this accommodation meets the minimum set of standards
- commit to offering this accommodation for a minimum period of six months
There must be at least one person being hosted on the last day of the month for which payment is due and those who wish to apply do not have to be Garda vetted.
The scheme is not payable if there is a rental agreement with the person being hosted and it is not affected if the person being hosted contributes towards costs such as utilities and food.
The ARP can be back dated to March 4 2022, or from when you started providing accommodation.
The rate of payment was €400 per month until 1 December 2022.
Matt Carthy, Sinn Fein’s spokesperson on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, said the scheme is “distorting” the rental market.
He said: “We have no clarity from the government as to whether payment rates will be reduced as flagged by Ministers or, more importantly, if any amendments will be made to the scheme that will address the current unfairness or the distortion within the rental sector.
“Currently, the state will pay a landlord €800 tax free to accommodate a person from the Ukraine here under the Temporary Protection Directive.
“That person could be employed in a well-paid job – there is no means-test as is the case for other housing assistant payments.
“This puts other renters, including people who might be on lower incomes, at a severe disadvantage as this scheme incentivises landlords to rent their properties to Ukrainians, particularly in areas with traditionally lower rents.
“It is divisive, deeply unfair and must be ended.”
‘LIFELINE’ PAYMENT
National coordinator of the Ukraine Ireland Civil Society Forum, Emma Lane-Spollen said Carthy is locating the problems within the rental sector in the wrong space.
She said: “We need to look at where the problems are and really locate them in the right places instead of this kind of distraction that is in danger of actually exacerbating the problem.”
Lane-Spollen also said that hosting has been an “amazing” success.
She explained: “Hosting has been a lifeline, giving thousands not just shelter, but home, friendship, and belonging.
“It was never meant to be a long-term housing solution, nor is it a silver bullet for the refugee accommodation crisis.
“It works because it’s about community, not just a place to stay.”
