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A step change for homelessness
Meaningful action is needed from the newly restored Northern Ireland Executive to tackle homelessness
HEALTH, CARE & SUPPORT
Mark Baillie
Head of Policy and Programmes, Homeless Connect
Mark Baillie
Head of Policy and Programmes, Homeless Connect
Issue 74 | October 2024
On 3 February this year, the Northern Ireland Executive was restored following a 24-month hiatus. For five of the past seven years, the Executive had not been operational. From the vantage point of September 2024, it is abundantly clear that the lack of an Executive has had a wide range of damaging impacts on society here in Northern Ireland.
It feels like almost every part of the apparatus of governance is in the midst of a crisis. Every day the news is filled with stories of the consequences of short-term thinking; an inability to face up to and make hard choices; and the impacts of constantly working with single year budgets since 2015. The repercussions of these failures are felt most by the poorest people here who cannot afford to take steps to mitigate the impact of poor-quality services and long-waiting lists.
Impact on homelessness
The homelessness sector warmly welcomed the return of the Executive. Our sector knows first-hand the very real impact that the failures of governance have had on some of the most marginalised people living in Northern Ireland. Like other parts of these islands, we are in the midst of a housing and homelessness crisis.
The past decade has seen a staggering increase of 145% in the number of households with homelessness status between March 2014 to June 2024. On 30 June, over 30,000 households here had homelessness status. The number of households living in temporary accommodation has also dramatically risen by 132% over the last five years. In April 2024, just under 4,800 households were living in temporary accommodation. Over 5,100 children were living in these households.
I can say without fear of contradiction that without the truly remarkable work of the homelessness sector here these figures would be a lot worse than they are. It remains the case that every day homelessness is prevented and alleviated in this society. However, the undeniable reality is that far too many people are unable to access the high-quality, affordable housing they need.
It would be unfair to suggest that this situation has been solely or primarily caused by the lack of an Executive. Global factors such as the war in Ukraine, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing impact of the cost-of-living crisis have all played major contributory roles. Even if the Executive had been operational over the past five years, it would have faced major challenges around housing and homelessness. However, the failures of governance have undoubtedly exacerbated the difficulties we face.
increase in the number of homeless households between March 2014 and June 2024
homeless households in June 2024
increase in the number of households living in temporary accommodation over the past five years
“We need the Executive collectively to step up to the mark with the wider homelessness sector. The right words and plans – though helpful –are not sufficient. We need concrete and meaningful action.”
Time for action
We cannot change the past. However, with Executive ministers now in place, action can be taken to make a difference in the future. We know from our conversations with the Ministers for Communities and Finance, as well as senior officials, that they know and understand the scale of the problems we are facing. We have no doubt of their sincerity in wanting to prevent and reduce homelessness.
This is a moment when we need the Executive collectively to step up to the mark with the wider homelessness sector. The right words and plans – though helpful –are not sufficient. We need concrete and meaningful action. We need:
- to see a standalone housing outcome with homelessness indicators in any programme for Government which comes forward from the Executive;
- a properly funded and resourced Housing Supply Strategy brought forward and agreed by the entire Executive;
- the homelessness sector to be properly resourced and funded.
Collaborative solutions
Homeless Connect is a solutions-focused organisation. We know the homelessness sector has an invaluable role to play in working with our statutory and public sector partners if we are ever going to see the number of people experiencing homelessness here fall. On 10 October we will be running an NI homelessness conference which will seek to promote collaboration and innovation in our sector. The conference, which is taking place in Belfast, will bring together expert speakers from across the UK and Ireland. It is only in working together collaboratively that we can work to turn this situation around.
As an organisation, we are also innovating in our own service provision to try to practically support people experiencing homelessness. Against all of the headwinds we have been facing, we continue to provide thousands of Home Starter Packs and food boxes to households moving out of homelessness into new tenancies. We are also piloting a new furniture provision project – informed by people with lived experience of homelessness – which we hope will make a real difference in tenancy sustainment.
It is unquestionably the case that things are incredibly challenging when it comes to housing and homelessness in Northern Ireland. We and our member organisations continue to innovate and strive for the best outcomes possible for people experiencing homelessness. We need the Executive to work with us in bringing about the change we need.
“We continue to provide thousands of Home Starter Packs and food boxes to households moving out of homelessness into new tenancies.”