Welfare recipients face ‘systemic’ housing discrimination
Discrimination in the housing rental market against people on social welfare supports is systemic, says the head of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC).
Chief commissioner Emily Logan says the problem will persist without changes to a legal system that requires vulnerable individuals to personally take cases to assert their rights.
Ms Logan’s comments come as the IHREC annual report for 2018 is published, showing once again that access to housing is one of the key issues for members of the public seeking help.
Since 2016, it has been illegal to discriminate against someone seeking to rent a property who may be in receipt of housing assistance, rent supplement, or other social welfare payments.
However, for the second year running, housing is second only to disability as the grounds cited in queries relating to discrimination under the Equal Status Acts.
Individuals can take a complaint to the Workplace Relations Commission which, despite its name, is also the body that handles equality-related cases outside of the workplace.
Ms Logan says that places too heavy a burden on individuals.
“Enforcement of Irish discrimination law relies heavily on the individual complaints-led model,” she says.
Discrimination will simply go unchallenged unless an individual takes action. For individuals who may be at risk of homelessness, and are focused on finding a place to live, it is unreasonable to expect them to refocus their energies on pursuing a complaint.
“Enforcement of the ‘housing assistance’ ground before the WRC alone is not and can not be the solution to this problem and further initiatives will need to be explored if this issue is to be comprehensively tackled.”
The IHREC handled more than 1,700 queries from the public last year, similar to the previous year, but there was a 40% rise in the number of cases where it was agreed to provide legal assistance or representation to enable people take cases to the WRC or the courts. Assistance or representation was granted in 102 cases in 2018, bringing the total number of people currently pursuing cases with IHREC help to 141.
