LETTERKENNY Councillor Gerry Mc Monagle is calling on Donegal County Council to introduce supports for tenants who have been given eviction notices.
The Sinn Féin Councillor is urging the council to set up dedicated teams at Public Service Centres around the County to help those who are dealing with a notice of termination.
Councillor Mc Monagle has voiced these concerns in light of the increasing number of people being handed termination notices since the lifting of the eviction ban earlier this month.
He added that local authorities also have a key role to play at the assessment stage of the new Cost Rental Tenant In-situ Scheme if a tenant is at risk of homelessness.
The assessment by a local authority Housing Officer will be conducted in the same manner and using the same evidence base as other situations in which a person presents to a local authority.
But Cllr Mc Monagle believes it is important that a dedicated Housing Officer should be in place to offer support to tenants who are presenting with a termination notice.
He stressed that people contact their local authority as soon as they receive a termination notice.
The local authority’s Housing Officer will then discuss the various options open to the applicant and if the local authority is satisfied that the applicant may be eligible for the Cost Rental Tenant In-situ scheme they will pass their details on to the Housing Agency.
“The Housing Agency cannot take applications directly from potential applicants so it is imperative that people contact their local authority as soon as they receive a Termination notice,” he added.
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