Housing Minister has approved a new initiative
from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, which will improve
provision and reduce the cost of providing Temporary
Accommodation by up to £75m over the next seven years.
Temporary Accommodation is short-term housing provided to those
who are homeless and in priority need. It can involve placing
people in hotels and B&Bs, which are referred to as
‘non-standard accommodation'. The numbers affected have grown
significantly in recent years, to the point where – on a given
night – up to 450 households could be in non-standard
accommodation.
The cost of providing non-standard Temporary Accommodation has
also increased substantially, from £668,425 in 2017/18 to over
£12million in 2023/24.
The Minister said: “When I launched the Executive Housing
Supply Strategy, I said we had to be radical and innovative in
our approach to housing. We live in times of
unprecedented housing stress. That means looking
at new ways of doing things as we seek to tackle the challenges
we face. In relation to Temporary Accommodation,
it is clear that the status quo cannot continue, and we must
act.
“That is why I have approved a plan which will allow the
Housing Executive to purchase up to 600 homes over the next three
years to use as Temporary Accommodation.
“It will reduce reliance on, costly,
hotel and B&B accommodation. Also, it will allow the NIHE to
invest in prevention activity - supporting families experiencing,
or at risk of, homelessness."
This announcement is the latest in a range of measures following
the Housing Supply Strategy to address housing need across all
sectors. This includes funding more homes, providing necessary
support and ensuring the most effective help is available for
those in crisis. It also aligns with the Programme for Government
target to focus on preventing homelessness, making it brief, rare
and non-recurrent.
Housing Executive Chief Executive Grainia Long said: “The Housing
Executive prioritises high quality temporary accommodation, with
the majority of the provision in Northern Ireland being single
lets. We remain committed to reducing the cost and use of
B&B accommodation, and that work continues at pace. We
recommended this proposal to purchase properties for use as
temporary accommodation, and I am delighted that Minister Lyons
has agreed. This will allow us to expand the use of
cost-effective, own front door temporary accommodation. It will
reduce costs, and allow more households to access higher quality
accommodation better suited to their needs.”
Notes to editors:
- When an individual or household presents as homeless, the
NIHE assesses their eligibility and status using a series of
tests. Applicants deemed Full Duty Applicants (FDAs) are owed a
housing duty and considered statutorily homeless.
- The Housing Executive has a duty to provide accommodation for
such households. Given social housing waiting lists, this
is generally initially in accommodation such as hostels, single
lets or Non-Standard accommodation. ‘Non-Standard' refers to
hotel and B&B type accommodation, which is the most expensive
type of accommodation used.
