AQW 43087/22-27

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 24/03/2026
Answered On Date: 16/04/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities to detail any actions he is taking, through his Department and its arm's-length bodies, to set up a multi disciplinary hub in Belfast as identified by the Homelessness Prevention Forum.

Answer:

My Department allocates approximately £4.3m annually to the Housing Executive for Community Prevention activity. This allocation provides core funding for several organisations, including the Welcome Organisation’s Support Hub.

The support hub provides service users with access to basic needs including meals, clothes, showers and respite. Welcome staff provide intensive support work both on a one-to-one basis as well as via group activities. This includes housing referrals, the promotion of life skills including the setting up bank accounts and support with benefits, and clinics linking with other professional services. They also make appointments for service users with health-care professionals at their mobile health unit.