The experience of people and households during HAP tenancies, and also afterwards, (if they have left the scheme), are examined in this chapter. This analysis looks at income, employment, reasons for leaving HAP and circumstances after HAP.
The total number of households in HAP tenancies rose from 420 in 2014 to 57,630 by 2019. In each of these years, just under half of all tenancies are single people with or without one child. In 2019, a single person with one child (22.8%) and a single person (22.9%) were the main family types.
| Other | Couple 3+ Children | Couple 2 Children | Couple 1 Child | Couple | Single 3+ Children | Single 2 Children | Single 1 Child | Single | |
| 2014 | 20 | 30 | 50 | 30 | 20 | 30 | 50 | 70 | 140 |
| 2015 | 240 | 500 | 580 | 400 | 210 | 380 | 680 | 1110 | 1660 |
| 2016 | 680 | 1470 | 1690 | 1160 | 610 | 1160 | 2120 | 3350 | 4690 |
| 2017 | 1370 | 2860 | 3430 | 2340 | 1240 | 2170 | 4300 | 6860 | 8240 |
| 2018 | 2190 | 3970 | 4970 | 3580 | 1840 | 3020 | 6160 | 10280 | 11080 |
| 2019 | 2850 | 4590 | 5950 | 4510 | 2280 | 3580 | 7530 | 13150 | 13200 |
There were more than 1,000 HAP households containing a single person with one child in each of Dublin City, Fingal and South Dublin County in 2019, see Table 2.2. There were also more than 1,000 HAP households with a single person in Dublin City and Cork County. Data for years 2014 to 2019 on this topic can be found in statbank table HAP01, which shows that some local authorities, (particularly those in Dublin), were not significantly involved in the scheme in the early years as this was rolled-out on a phased basis.
The median value for annual earned income, in those HAP households which had any earned income, fell from €13,762 two years before starting HAP to €12,544 in the year HAP was entered. Two years after starting HAP, the median value had risen to €14,760 and then fell back slightly to €14,675 three years after starting HAP.
The proportion of households with any earned income increased slightly from 46.2% two years before HAP to 50.2% in the year HAP was entered and rose again to 52.5% two years after starting HAP, before dropping slightly to 52.3% three years after starting HAP.
| X-axis label | % with any Earned Income | Median Earned Income (inflation adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| Two years before starting HAP | 46.2 | 13762 |
| One year before starting HAP | 48.2 | 13226 |
| HAP start year | 50.2 | 12544 |
| One year after starting in HAP | 51.6 | 14157 |
| Two years after starting in HAP | 52.5 | 14760 |
| Three years after starting in HAP | 52.3 | 14675 |
In the year before entering HAP, one in five (19.7%) HAP tenants coming from Rent Supplement also had some earned income with this proportion rising to 33.9% for this cohort two years after entering HAP.
For those with earned income and who were in the Rent Supplement scheme before HAP, the median earned annual income nearly doubled from €5,401 in the year before entering HAP to €10,038 two years after entering HAP.
| X-axis label | % with any Earned Income | Median Earned Income (inflation adjusted) |
|---|---|---|
| One year before starting in HAP (& in RS) | 19.7 | 5401 |
| HAP start year (& RS end year) | 26.7 | 6861 |
| One year after starting in HAP | 31.3 | 9117 |
| Two years after starting in HAP | 33.9 | 10038 |
Two years before starting in the HAP scheme,19.8% of HAP tenants were working in the ‘Accommodation and Food Service Activities’ sector, and this fell to 16.9% in the year they entered HAP. This proportion then dropped to 14.7% after two years in HAP, and two years after leaving HAP it had fallen again to 13.4%. See Table 2.5 and Figure 2.4. There was a similar pattern for those working in the ‘Wholesale and Retail Trade’ sector.
In contrast, a comparison of the proportion working in Construction before, during and after engagement in the HAP scheme shows a decline. Two years before starting in HAP, 3.5% of the tenants who were at work were in Construction, but this had risen to 7.8% two years after leaving HAP.
| Two years before HAP | One year before HAP | HAP start year | One year after entering HAP | Two years after entering HAP | Year finished in HAP | One year after finishing in HAP | Two years after finishing in HAP | |
| Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (A) | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1 | 1 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.5 |
| Industry (B, C, D & E) | 9 | 8.8 | 8.1 | 7.6 | 7.5 | 9.2 | 9.2 | 10.3 |
| Construction (F) | 3.5 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 6 | 7.3 | 7.8 |
| Wholesale and Retail Trade (G) | 22.2 | 21.5 | 20.1 | 19.3 | 18.3 | 17.7 | 16.9 | 16 |
| Transportation and Storage (H) | 2.7 | 3 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
| Accommodation and Food Service Activities (I) | 19.8 | 18.6 | 16.9 | 15.6 | 14.7 | 14 | 13.7 | 13.4 |
| Information and Communication (J) | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 2 | 1.9 |
| Financial and Real Estate (K & L) | 2.7 | 2.8 | 3 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 4.1 |
| Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities (M) | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.9 |
| Administrative and Support Service Activities (N) | 12.9 | 13.4 | 13.7 | 13.9 | 13.1 | 13.1 | 12.1 | 12.7 |
| Public Administration and Defence (O) | 2.1 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.2 |
| Education (P) | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.1 |
| Human Health and Social Work Activities (Q) | 10.2 | 10.9 | 13.1 | 14.7 | 16.2 | 15 | 15.5 | 14.7 |
| Other NACE Activities (R, S, T & U) | 6.9 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 7 | 5.6 | 4.7 | 3.8 |
The proportion of HAP tenants receiving working-age income support rose from 36.7% two years before joining the scheme, to 42.0% in the year in which HAP was started. This proportion then fell to 27.4% two years after leaving HAP.
Illness, disability and caring related benefits were received by 13.3% of HAP tenants two years prior to entering the scheme, and this proportion rose to 24.0% two years after leaving HAP.
| Children Related Support | Illness, Disability and caring Support | Working-Age Income Support | |
| Two years before HAP | 45.8 | 13.3 | 36.7 |
| One year before HAP | 49.6 | 15.3 | 38.8 |
| HAP start year | 54.7 | 17.9 | 42 |
| One year after entering HAP | 59.3 | 20.7 | 40.7 |
| Two years after entering HAP | 58.8 | 22.9 | 38 |
| Year finished in HAP | 49.8 | 22 | 32.7 |
| One year after finishing in HAP | 44.5 | 22.7 | 28.8 |
| Two years after finishing in HAP | 39.8 | 24 | 27.4 |
Between 2015 and 2019, the number of households leaving HAP tenancies - and not returning - has gradually increased but is still a small proportion of all HAP households. The number of households who left a HAP tenancy rose from 230 in 2015 to 6,730 by 2019. See Table 2.7 and Figure 2.6.
| Other | Couple 3+ Children | Couple 2 Children | Couple 1 Child | Couple | Single 3+ Children | Single 2 Children | Single 1 Child | Single | |
| 2015 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 40 | 80 |
| 2016 | 110 | 70 | 80 | 80 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 150 | 380 |
| 2017 | 180 | 190 | 190 | 170 | 90 | 140 | 220 | 360 | 710 |
| 2018 | 340 | 340 | 400 | 330 | 170 | 270 | 500 | 720 | 1100 |
| 2019 | 430 | 550 | 690 | 520 | 260 | 490 | 860 | 1300 | 1640 |
Table 2.8 below shows the number of exiting households - who do not return - per year by the local authority and family type for 2019. Dublin City had the most number of exits in 2019 with over half of these being for 'Single' and 'Single 1 Child' families. Equivalent data can be viewed for all years from 2014 to 2019 within statbank table HAP01.
Two in four (49.3%) households who exited HAP in 2015 - and haven't returned - did so where the tenant had ended the tenancy, but this had fallen to just over one in four (27.3%) by 2019.
In 2015, the proportion of HAP tenants who left to enter social housing was 17.8% and this rose steadily to 35.0% by 2019. Cessation reasons are typically self-reported by the tenant and/or landlord. The data from this graph can be found in statbank table HAP09.
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Social Housing | 17.8 | 20 | 28.3 | 32.5 | 35 |
| Tenant Ends Tenancy | 49.3 | 36.2 | 32.3 | 30.8 | 27.3 |
| Landlord Ends Tenancy | 12.9 | 14.8 | 15.3 | 17.1 | 16 |
| Miscellaneous | 11.1 | 10.6 | 10.1 | 8.9 | 10.9 |
| Tenant Non-Compliance | 5.3 | 14.8 | 10.3 | 8 | 8.5 |
| Deceased Tenant | 2.2 | 3 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 1.9 |
| Accommodation/Landlord Non Compliance | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
About one in six (15.5%) of HAP tenants who left the scheme before 2019 were back on a local authority's housing waiting list in 2019. Only 1.1% of this cohort whoe exited prior to 2019 were on Rent Supplement in this year. Tenants could be in multiple, or no, groupings in this graph.
| LPT (home owner) | Rent Supplement | Housing Waiting List | |
| % of Exited HAP tenants | 2.4 | 1.1 | 15.5 |
Nearly half (49.6%) of households who voluntarily exited HAP (where it is recorded that the tenant has ended the tenancy) had a person in employment in the year of exiting HAP, but this proportion dropped slightly to 43.6% two years after leaving HAP, see Figure 2.9.
Just under half (44.1%) of households who left HAP to enter social housing had a person in employment in the year of exiting HAP and this proportion grew slightly to 46.1% two years after leaving HAP.
For the population who have exited HAP voluntarily the median earned income - for those with any earned income in the year - is €13,439 in the year they left HAP, and this rose to €18,857 two years after leaving HAP. There is a similar pattern for the cohort who have involuntarily exited HAP - albeit with lower values - with the median earned income rising from €12,072 to €17,207. An involuntary exit is where cessation reasons recorded indicate that the landlord has ended the tenancy or there has been non-compliance from the tenant or landlord or related to the property
The median annual earned income for those who exited HAP to go to Social Housing was €14,251 in the last year of HAP. The median then rose for this group to €15,096 one year after leaving HAP and then dropped to €13,858 two years after leaving HAP.
For reference, the percentage in employment for all who exit HAP is 45.1% in the year they leave. This rises to 46.0% in the next year before dropping to 43.7% two years after leaving the scheme. The median earned income for all those who exited - and are in employment - is €13,197 in the year exiting HAP and rises to €17,319 two years later.
| X-axis label | % with any Earned Income - Invol Exit | % with any Earned Income - SH Exit | % with any Earned Income - Vol Exit | Median Earned Income (inflation adjusted) - Invol Exit | Median Earned Income (inflation adjusted) - SH Exit | Median Earned Income (inflation adjusted) - Vol Exit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HAP End year | 42.4 | 44.1 | 49.6 | 12072 | 14251 | 13439 |
| HAP End year + 1 | 44.5 | 47.9 | 44.9 | 14335 | 15096 | 17734 |
| HAP End year + 2 | 41.5 | 46.1 | 43.6 | 17207 | 13858 | 18857 |
The highest proportion of people returning to HAP, who have previously left the scheme, occur in the year immediately after leaving HAP, see Figure 2.10. For example, of those who exited in 2016, 11.5% returned in 2017, 4.6% in 2018 and 3.8% in 2019.
| Return 2015 | Return 2016 | Return 2017 | Return 2018 | Return 2019 | |
| 2015 | 0.3 | 9.3 | 6.8 | 3.4 | 4 |
| 2016 | 0 | 3.4 | 11.5 | 4.6 | 3.8 |
| 2017 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 | 10.2 | 4.1 |
| 2018 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.9 | 8.8 |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 |
Link to all interactive tables for this publication: Statbank
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