AQW 5257/16-21


Mrs Naomi Long
Alliance Party
East Belfast


Tabled Date: 13/10/2016
Answered On Date: 26/10/2016
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities how the Northern Ireland Housing Executive can support social housing tenants, with particular reference to racial minorities, to hold their tenancy free from intimidation.


Answer:
The Housing Executive acknowledges that hate harassment has been identified as a current issue in Northern Ireland. They promote a clear and strong message that they will not tolerate hate crime in any form on their estates and will take appropriate action to effectively address and eradicate hate crime motivated by someone’s perceived Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation, Religion, Political Opinion, Disability or Gender Identity.
Local Offices can help if a victim has no home, is in danger of losing their home or is afraid to go home because someone has been violent, or because of threats of violence likely to be carried out. Support can range from providing safe temporary accommodation, or advice and assistance on finding somewhere else to live.
The Housing Executive is currently rolling out a Housing Solutions and Support approach across the organisation which focuses on person-centred housing and homeless services, tailored to meet the needs of individual customers and support them to achieve sustainable housing solutions. This approach is being successfully used to support their customers who have experienced racist hate crime and incidents, utilising the expertise of other agencies where appropriate.
The Housing Executive also works in partnership with Northern Ireland Association for Care and Resettlement of Offenders (NIACRO) to provide a floating support service which provides assistance to people whose tenancy may be at risk due to harassment or intimidation because of their ethnicity.
The Housing Executive’s “Safer Together” Community Safety Strategy 2015-2017 recognises the devastating impact that hate harassment can have on victims. The organisation is committed to identifying and responding to hate incidents and, where possible, perpetrators will be dealt with through the Housing Executive’s Anti Social Behaviour (ASB) process.