Agenda item

            Mr. O’Kane provided Members with statistics regarding homelessness in Northern Ireland during 2019/2020, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic:

·        16,802 households presented as homeless last year (11,323 accepted);

·        36 rough sleepers were identified in the 2019/2020 street count;

·        There were 4,527 temporary accommodation placements;

·        21,955 households were on the social housing waiting list as homeless;

·        The top 3 reasons for presenting as homeless were accommodation not being reasonable, breakdown or family dispute, and loss of rented accommodation;

·        52% were single, 32% families, 12% older people and 4% were couples.

Mr. O’Kane explained that, since the outbreak of Covid-19, the number of homeless presentations had fallen while demand for temporary accommodation had increased.  He added that young people had been disproportionately impacted and that the availability and throughput of temporary accommodation had reduced, necessitating an increase in the use of hotel and B&B accommodation. 

The Members were advised that the aim of the NIHE Covid-19 response was to safeguard as many homeless people as possible from the virus, ensuring that they had the same opportunities as other vulnerable people to self-isolate, receive care, protection and treatment where possible.  The key impacts on customers were identified as physical health, financial pressures, mental health, relationship breakdowns, reduced access to support and social isolation. 

Mr. O’Kane then provided details of their ‘Everyone In’ approach to accommodate rough sleepers, including those with no recourse to public funds. 

In terms of the NIHE response to date, the following elements were outlined:

-       Increased supply of temporary accommodation;

-       The lockdown of night shelters and day centres;

-       Additional support provided and a shift made from in-reach to assertive outreach;

-       Publication of ‘The Way Home’ Reset Plan;

-       The appointment of a Coordinator and an Emergency Relief Panel;

-       The ‘Everyone In’ approach;

-       New arrangements for multi-agency consultation and collaboration.

            Mr. O’Kane explained that their aim now was to prevent people returning to rough sleeping and to work to prevent the loss of homes in the private rented sector.  He also noted that they were working to acquire additional temporary accommodation units with block bookings made in order to respond to emergency scenarios. 

            The Committee was provided with information on a Strategic Review which would remodel and reconfigure services whilst looking at the long term suitability of accommodation, private sector leasing and reducing reliance on non-standard accommodation (hotels and B&Bs). 

            In conclusion, Mr. O’Kane detailed the challenges moving forward, including securing the budget for the year ahead, anticipating demand, the rollout of vaccines and testing, and the next steps for the ‘Everyone In’ approach. 

            Mrs. Hawthorne noted the strain on staff, particularly those with young families, as a result of the ongoing working from home arrangements and the increased demand on services. 

            A Member commended the work of the staff and voiced his understanding of the issues they were facing.  He then questioned what could be done to support new residents to an area, including asylum seekers, who might only come to the attention of community groups or representatives if an issue was to arise.  He suggested that it was important to connect with people at an earlier stage as this could prevent isolation and improve the chances of sustaining tenancies.

            Mrs. Hawthorne welcomed the increase in asylum seekers who had been granted leave to remain in Northern Ireland.  She noted however that there were a number of pressures on the system, including delays to the construction of new builds, repair issues and a rise in the need for permanent accommodation.  She agreed that wrap around services for asylum seekers was a key issue and noted that a number of other agencies were responsible for Sustainable Integration work to support that. 

            Mr. O’Kane confirmed that, despite the difficulties in travel over the last year, a record number of people had presented as seeking asylum in December 2020.  He outlined the work that the NIHE was doing with partner agencies to provide support but agreed that additional work could be done to support that transition. 

            With regards to getting people ‘tenancy ready’, Mrs. Hawthorne explained that staff were seeing an increase in 18-25 year olds with extreme vulnerabilities and without the skills to maintain a tenancy.  She added that tolerance levels also appeared to be lower now that more people were working or staying at home all day.  She also pointed out that people were often at a point of crisis when they presented as homeless and in need of a range of support, with housing often being an isolating factor that could compound the other issues.  Both representatives underlined the learning points from the last year and reiterated the importance of not losing this and continuing with outreach support. 

            A Member queried how an applicant would be defined as suitable for temporary accommodation as opposed to permanent accommodation, and what statistics existed for the move through to permanent tenancies.  He also questioned why there had been a rise in the 18-25 age range. 

            Mr. O’Kane explained that anyone who presented for housing assistance, if they met the statutory definition, would be provided with temporary accommodation (if needed) alongside other services.  He advised that people often made their own temporary arrangements to stay with family or friends while they made their way through the permanent waiting list, however, as a result of Covid-19, this was now less likely.  Mrs. Hawthorne added that the final solution was always to offer permanent and suitable accommodation. 

            With regards to statistics, Mr. O’Kane suggested that around 70% of those in temporary accommodation were offered permanent accommodation by the Housing Executive or a social housing partner but the process had slowed during the pandemic resulting in increased time in temporary accommodation. 

            A Member reiterated previous comments about supporting those who were new to an area by using the community sector in a GDPR compliant manner in order to offer practical advice and support.  She also noted the need to include open spaces in new designs as their importance had become so apparent during periods of lockdown.  Finally, she recommended that honest conversations were had with those on the housing waiting list about demand levels and the likelihood of permanent housing as frustrations were growing.

            Mr. O’Kane confirmed that conversations had recently taken place with partners about the idea of Community Navigator roles.  He suggested that those honest conversations were had, but agreed that additional work could be undertaken, whilst not putting people off joining the waiting list.   He suggested that additional initiatives could be included in the Reset Plan and stated that sustaining tenancies was key. 

            In response to a query as to whether the Executive was equipped to deal with increased demand from young families or other fall outs from the pandemic, Mr. O’Kane advised that they continued to look at demand and the emerging pressures.  He suggested that demand from the private rented sector was likely to increase due to rent arrears, and unemployment and changes to benefits were also likely to have an impact.  He also commented on the needs of young families, couples, and larger blended families, as well as the lessons learnt over the past year.