Am I entitled to rent allowance and how much??

Hi All,
I Would really appreciate any advice

Im a 25 year old single mother, I have 1 daughter who is 19 and a half months old. My Fiance and I were not living together before i fell pregnant with our daughter but i moved in to his fathers house with him when i was pregnant, My daughter was born 24th december 2009 and we stayed with my mother with the intentions of moving into an apartment on the 9th of june 2010. Unfortunately my partner died suddenly 3 weeks after the baby was born and i was emotionally and financially not able to move out of my mothers.

I am on the county council housing list and i receive lone parent payment of 217 euros a week plus 140 children's allowance once a month. I am a full time mum to my little girl at the moment but i would ideally like to either pursue my career in health care or gain some further qualifications again in health care.

My question really is that as i have been living with my mother and she has a 3 bedroom house so its not over crowded but im finding it impossible to stay here, my mother and i get on well most of the time but whereas i used to find it a comfort being here i am now finding it very difficult because of the constant memories of my partner it is actually driving me crazy that everytime i go out of my bedroom door i can actually still see him just laying on the ground, it was a very sudden death he died while getting out of the shower from sudden adult death syndrome.

Is there anyway i could get rent allowance without having to pay myself for 6 months as i could not afford that and also if so how much would i be entitled to? I live in Co. Limerick and want to stay in county but I really need to get out of this house and make a fresh start with my daughter before i crack up Please Help!

Sorry to hear about the loss of your partner.

The regulations for Rent Supplement state that before being able to apply you must either have rented privately for 6 of the past 12 months or have been assessed by the local authority and be on their housing list.

As you're already on the housing list, you are eligible to apply.

There are maximum rent limits based on family size and location - the maximum rent limit for Co Limerick for a family with 1 child is €605 per month. This means you would not be eligible for Rent Supplement if the place you rent charges more than this amount.

Some areas set lower local limits, you will have to check that out with the CWO in the area.

If your only income is 217.80 (Child Benefit isn't counted) then you will be required to pay €26 pw towards the rent.

You should contact the local authority to see what they may be able to offer you.