Dublin City Council passes Sinn Féin motion demanding Minister for Housing reinstates the Tenant In Situ Scheme
24 March 2025
Dublin City Council tonight unanimously passed a Sinn Féin motion demanding Minister for Housing James Browne reinstates and properly funds the Tenant In Situ Scheme.
Speaking at tonight’s City Council meeting, Cllr Daithí Doolan said:
“The Tenant In Situ Scheme has successfully prevented hundreds of families from ending up homeless.
“This government is attempting to strangle the scheme.
“Tonight’s vote sends a strong message to the Minister: Reinstate the Tenant In Situ Scheme and let local authorities get on with the business of housing families threatened with homelessness.
“The level of cross-party support for the Sinn Féin motion clearly shows how out of step this government has become. Their own councillors are calling on the housing minister to reinstate this successful scheme.
“The minister must listen to the largest local authority in the country. We are demanding that he provides local authorities with the maximum amount of flexibility and adequate funding to support tenants at risk of homelessness.”
ENDS
Text of Sinn Féin motion passed at tonight’s Special meeting of Dublin City Council:
Dublin City Council fully recognises the positive role the Tenant In Situ Scheme has played in preventing hundreds of adults and children people from entering homelessness.
We are concerned that proposed restrictions to the scheme will reduce the ability of the Council to do everything it can to prevent people from losing their homes.
We are particularly concerned that the capital allocation for 2025 will be less than the final spend on the scheme in 2024; that refurbishment costs will be excluded; that an arbitrary two-year in receipt of social housing support rule will be applied to properties; that single people and couples without children could be excluded from the scheme.
We understand that the Minister for Housing James Bowne will sign off on the final shape of the scheme before the end of the month and are urging him to provide Dublin City Council with the maximum amount of flexibility on the operation of the scheme and adequate funding to support tenants at risk of homelessness.
We agree to write to the Minister for Housing urging him not to make more adults and children homelessness by approving any restrictions to the operation of the Tenant-In-Situ Scheme or reductions in funding to this vital homeless prevention measure.
