Nobody should have to lose their home before help becomes available

A woman who experienced homelessness after a relationship breakdown is backing calls for stronger homelessness prevention measures as new figures reveal a record 64,417 people are now experiencing homelessness across Northern Ireland.  

The latest Department for Communities figures show homelessness has increased by almost 13,000 people in the last three years, including 19,441 children and young people under the age of 18. The figures mean that around one in every 30 people in Northern Ireland is now experiencing homelessness.  

For Laoise, who experienced homelessness herself, the numbers reflect a reality that many people face long before they lose their home. 

“People often think homelessness starts when someone loses their home, but for many of us it begins much earlier than that.

“Looking back, there were points where the right support could have made a real difference before things reached crisis point.

“Once you become homeless, everything gets harder. You’re trying to find somewhere safe to stay, deal with the impact on your health and keep going day to day.

“That’s why prevention matters so much. Nobody should have to lose their home before help becomes available.”

Simon Community is calling for greater focus on preventing homelessness before people reach crisis point, as a public consultation closes this week on proposed changes to homelessness legislation. 

The Housing (Amendment) Bill, brought forward by Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA Colm Gildernew, would allow people at risk of homelessness to approach the Housing Executive sooner for help, extending the period in which they are classed as threatened with homelessness from 28 days to 60 days. This would give more time to intervene before someone loses their home. 

The charity says the latest figures reinforce what people with lived experience of homelessness have long been saying: help often arrives too late. 

Research carried out by Simon Community found that more than a third of people surveyed felt their homelessness could have been prevented if the right support had been available earlier. Affordable housing, financial assistance and support for mental health and substance use were among the measures most commonly identified as having the potential to prevent homelessness. The research also found overwhelming support for stronger prevention measures, with 95% agreeing that the law should place a greater focus on preventing homelessness before it happens. 

Simon Community Chief Executive Jim Dennison said the new figures should serve as a wake-up call. 

“Every time homelessness figures are released, the numbers get bigger. We are in a crisis, and it is getting worse year after year.

“Behind these figures are tens of thousands of people, including almost 20,000 children and young people, whose lives have been affected by homelessness.

“What we hear time and again from people with lived experience is that the warning signs were there long before they lost their home. Whether it’s rent arrears, poor mental health, relationship breakdown, domestic abuse or financial hardship, homelessness rarely begins on the day someone presents for help.

“The real question is whether support arrives early enough. Too often in Northern Ireland, it does not.

“We know homelessness can be prevented. We know that acting early works. It helps people stay in their homes, avoids the trauma of homelessness and reduces pressure on already stretched public services.

“As policymakers consider the future of homelessness legislation, we have an opportunity to build a system that steps in sooner, gives people hope and support when they need it most, and prevents more people from reaching crisis point in the first place.”

The latest figures are the first official statistics to show the number of people experiencing homelessness, rather than only the number of households affected, following recommendations made by the Public Accounts Committee earlier this year.