AQW 27467/17-22


Mr Stewart Dickson
Alliance Party
East Antrim


Tabled Date: 15/12/2021
Answered On Date: 17/01/2022
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities what plans are in place to deal with the rising number of homeless people placed in temporary accommodation.


Answer:
The Housing Executive has statutory responsibility for responding to Homelessness.
The Housing Executive’s strategic priorities to respond to homelessness are outlined in the Homelessness Strategy 2017-22 (https://www.nihe.gov.uk/Documents/Homelessness/homelessness-strategy-northern-ireland-2017-2022.aspx?ext=.) and Chronic Homelessness Action Plan (https://www.nihe.gov.uk/Documents/Chronic-homelessness/Chronic-Homelessness-Action-Plan.aspx)
The Housing Executive has also continued to deliver actions outlined in its Covid-19 Reset Plan (https://www.nihe.gov.uk/Documents/Homelessness/homelessness-reset-plan-the-way-home.aspx?ext=.) published in November 2020. The Reset Plan outlines a range of priorities across the themes of rough sleeping, temporary accommodation, homelessness prevention, homelessness services and collaborative working to continue to support the most vulnerable in society as we emerge from the pandemic.
In addition, the Housing Executive is currently consulting on both the draft Homelessness Strategy 2022-27 (https://www.nihe.gov.uk/Documents/Consultation-Draft-Homelessness-Strategy-2022-27/Ending-Homelessness-Together-draft-strategy-2022-2.aspx) which has recently been published and also on Homeless to Home, a draft Strategic Action Plan for Temporary Accommodation (https://www.nihe.gov.uk/Documents/Consultation-Draft-Homelessness-Strategy-2022-27/Ending-Homelessness-Together-draft-strategy-2022-2.aspx.) In line with their statutory duty, the Housing Executive will publish a revised version of the Homelessness Strategy 2022-27 in April 2022.
The Housing Executive continues to work closely with the Department and its housing association delivery partners to increase the levels of new social housing, address housing need generally and reduce the number of Full Duty Applicants being placed in temporary accommodation.