AQW 44540/22-27

Ms Connie Egan
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 22/04/2026
Answered On Date: 20/05/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities to detail any guidance his Department has issued to housing associations regarding the management of housing provision for vulnerable people, including domestic abuse refuge accommodation.

Answer:

My Department regulates Registered Housing Associations (RHAs) under the Housing (NI) Order 1992 and issues a range of guidance relevant to housing provision. This includes the Regulatory Framework (updated 2024/25), Regulatory Advice Notes and the Housing Association Guide, which together set standards for governance, financial management, housing management, and tenant services; including supported and specialist accommodation.

My Department also sets policy for housing-related support through the Supporting People Programme and the Supporting People Policy Framework (NI) 2025.

Supporting People services, including those delivered in refuge accommodation, are commissioned and contract managed by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive on behalf of my Department, and RHAs delivering these services must comply with both my Department and NIHE’s requirements.