Query about first time rent allowance

THEIRISHBADGER

Hi, I just wanted to know about how to go about applying for rent allowance.

I'm a 22-year-old cystic fibrosis patient currently living in a rural part of Cork in the family home but I'm finding that its harder and harder to deal with my condition and I feel myself that its is better if I was to move to a cleaner and more convenient environment where it will be easier to make regular appointments to my nurses.

I'm unemployed and receive a weekly disability allowance payment to help pay for a high calorie diet because it is very important for me to keep my weight up.

I would prefer to be living in the Cork City area so that I will be living near Cork University Hospital but the trouble is that after looking on daft.ie and other letting sites the only places that look clean and well vented are upwards from €600 which is why I would like to apply.

Other reasons I would find it useful to move to a urabn enviroment are I would like to go back to school and finish my leaving cert and hopefully go on to college because at the time I was ment to be doing it my heath got in the way and didn't finish. I would also like to grow my online ventures and expand on my PC and server maintenance services and would find a fiber optic broadband connection very useful.

Thank you do much for your help.

THEIRISHBADGER

Balagan

Have a read through this http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/supplementary_welfare_schemes/rent_supplement.html as it's pretty straightforward about the criteria for qualifying for Rent Supplement and the maximum rent that will be covered in each area of the country, including rent for a single person renting on their own and a single person renting in shared accommodation. A single person will also have to pay a minimum of €30 per week themselves. I don't know if your medical condition would give you additional entitlements but you could talk to the Community Welfare Officer about that http://www.welfare.ie/EN/ContactUs/Pages/cwo_contact.aspx

THEIRISHBADGER

Balagan wrote: »

Have a read through this http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/supplementary_welfare_schemes/rent_supplement.html as it's pretty straightforward about the criteria for qualifying for Rent Supplement and the maximum rent that will be covered in each area of the country, including rent for a single person renting on their own and a single person renting in shared accommodation. A single person will also have to pay a minimum of €30 per week themselves. I don't know if your medical condition would give you additional entitlements but you could talk to the Community Welfare Officer about that http://www.welfare.ie/EN/ContactUs/Pages/cwo_contact.aspx

Thanks, It looks like I would have need a housing needs assessment done by the local authority or having stayed in hospital over the last year but that doesn't add up to the 6 months because its usually only for 2 weeks every few months.
Does anyone have any experience with how long it take for the housing needs assessment done particularly in the Cork City area? I did kind of heard about this route before but when I enquired about it, it just seemed as if I was being sent around circles between Cork City Housing Authority, Cork County Housing Authority and the local social welfare office so I put it off until recently. When I brought it up with my doctors they didn't seem too encouragement about it ider. The only positive response i got was from the Cystic Fibrosis association Ireland that said they would be able to assist me with any help I need.

The rent limit for the Cork area is €450 for a single person(not sure if this includes around Cork City) which would help alot and I recall a social welfare officer telling me that there can be an extension made based on circumstances.