The amount the State paid landlords under a social housing scheme increased by €81 million last year.
Local authorities gave landlords €436 million in 2020, under the Housing Assistance Payment initiative (HAP).
About 60,000 tenants avail of the scheme, which sees the state pay part of their rent.
John-Mark McCafferty, from housing charity Threshold, says HAP is needed because of a lack of social housing.
Mr McCafferty: “Right now you need both, you need investment in the building of social housing but you also have many families and many individuals in housing need right now, who are living in the private renting sector and have been bearing the brunt of sustained rent increases since 2013.
“Therefore, their immediate need is a payment like the Housing Assistance Payment.”
