NI’s ‘shocking’ housing crisis worsens as waiting list grows to 86,200 people.

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/nis-shocking-housing-crisis-worsens-as-waiting-list-grows-to-86200-people/a1011400051.html

Northern Ireland’s housing crisis is continuing to deepen, with more than 46,000 households now on the waiting list for a permanent home, according to the latest figures.
Of these applicants, 12,483 are in the Belfast area, followed by Derry City and Strabane, with 5,951 applicants.

Demand for housing across the region is far outstripping supply and the NI Housing Executive’s (NIHE) waiting list for social housing has been rising year-on-year.

Latest figures available, to the end of last December, show 46,461 households are on the waiting list, with 34,651 in “housing stress” — meaning they are in priority need for a permanent home.

This compares with 44,519 households on the waiting list at the same time the previous year, with 32,371 deemed to be in housing stress.

Between October and December last year, a total of 3,910 households presented to the NIHE as homeless — up 14% on the same quarter in 2022.

im Dennison, chief executive of the charity Simon Community, said the number of households on the waiting list has doubled in the past 20 years and the 46,461 households currently waiting equates to 86,239 people.

“We also know that one in 34 people in Northern Ireland are officially classified as homeless, including 4,500 children. The scale of the issue is shocking,” he added.

“But the homelessness crisis didn’t emerge overnight; it’s been brewing for over two decades. Dysfunctional housing systems, lack of investment in affordable housing, and disjointed public policies have contributed to the problem. Factors like the pandemic, economic crises and wars have exacerbated it, leaving thousands without a place to call home.

“Simon Community is just one organisation. We cannot solve this crisis alone. It requires a collective effort from across the public, private and political sectors. The time to act is now.”

An NIHE spokesperson said Social Housing Development Programme funding is available to start building around 1,500 homes this financial year, which is below the 2,000 it bid for, and this will impact waiting list numbers in the medium term.

They added that the Department for Communities’ Draft Housing Supply Strategy is an “important statement of intent in addressing the problem and the NIHE is working with partners to unlock housing opportunities”.

“However, it is clear that despite the continued investment in social and affordable housing, supply is not keeping pace with current demand,” the spokesperson said.

“This means households are waiting longer for social housing and that more households are having to access temporary accommodation.

“As part of our Strategic Action Plan for temporary accommodation, we are exploring a range of initiatives to increase our temporary accommodation portfolio.

“The majority of temporary accommodation used by the Housing Executive is in units of accommodation where households have independent access or ‘own front door’ accommodation.

“Non-standard temporary accommodation is only used in the absence of other options, such as voluntary-sector hostels, and, when used, is for as short a duration as possible. This is particularly the case for families with children where non-standard placements represent less than 1% of the overall placements provided by the Housing Executive.”

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