INCOME THRESHOLDS FOR eligibility for social housing is to be increased by €5,000 next year, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said.

Martin said that “many, many more people” would qualify for social housing and the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) under the new income limits.

Speaking to reporters at a Fianna Fáil conference of local councillors, the Taoiseach said income thresholds have not been increased for 10 years in most counties.

The maximum income to qualify for social housing was increased in Carlow, Clare, Laois, Westmeath and Galway county last month.

Homelessness figures have reached record highs for three consecutive months, with the latest figure of 10,975 being recorded in September.

There is a strict set of criteria that must be met before a person can get on the waiting list for social housing in their area – and once on the list, they could stay on it for years.

Income bands differ depending on the local authority. In Dublin, the net income threshold for a single person is €35,000 and the maximum threshold for a family of three adults and four children is €42,000.

In Co Cork, the single person income threshold is a net €30,000 and for a three-adult and four-child family it is €36,000.