Agenda item

This Council notes the proposed plan by the owners of Regina Coeli to close the hostel and reduce the availability of accommodation for homeless women in the City of Belfast. 

This Council therefore calls upon Department of Communities Minister, the NIHE, as a matter of urgency ,  to meet with the owners and management Committee of Regina Coeli  hostel to discuss the withdrawal of this service.  This meeting will also include staff, their representatives, and Councillors about its planned closure. The meeting will discuss all options on how to secure the future of this facility as accommodation for homeless and vulnerable women in the City of Belfast.

Proposer Councillor McCusker

Seconder Councillor Ferguson

            In accordance with the notice on the agenda, Councillor McCusker proposed:

“This Council notes the proposed plan by the owners of Regina Coeli to close the hostel and reduce the availability of accommodation for homeless women in the City of Belfast.

This Council therefore calls upon Department of Communities Minister, the NIHE, as a matter of urgency, to meet with the owners and management Committee of Regina Coeli hostel to discuss the withdrawal of this service. This meeting will also include staff, their representatives, and Councillors about its planned closure.

The meeting will discuss all options on how to secure the future of this facility as accommodation for homeless and vulnerable women in the City of Belfast.”

The motion was seconded by Councillor Ferguson.

Amendment

            Moved by Councillor McLoughlin,

Seconded by Councillor Beattie,

      That the motion standing in the name of Councillor McCusker and seconded by Councillor Ferguson be amended as follows:

To delete the wording:

“This Council therefore calls upon Department of Communities Minister, the NIHE, as a matter of urgency , to meet with the owners and management Committee of Regina Coeli hostel to discuss the withdrawal of this service. This meeting will also include staff, their representatives, and Councillors about its planned closure.”

And replace it with the following:

“This Council is disappointed and angered by the lack of response by the site owners the Legion of Mary to meet with staff, union representatives, elected members and DfC officials to try and resolve this issue.

This council believes that if the Legion of Mary continues not to live up to its own values and continues to ignore those trying to find solutions then it’s the ultimate responsibility of the Diocese of Down and Connor to step in.

Therefore this council will seek an urgent meeting of all interested Elected officials across the city, NIHE/DFC officials, management committee of Regina Coeli, Bishop of Down and Connor and the Legion of Mary.”

The motion, as amended, therefore reads:

“This Council notes at the proposed plan by the owners of Regina Coeli to close the hostel and reduce the availability of accommodation for homeless women in the City of Belfast.

This Council is disappointed and angered by the lack of response by the site owners the Legion of Mary to meet with staff, union representatives, elected members and DfC officials to try and resolve this issue.

This Council believes that if the Legion of Mary continues not to live up to its own values and continues to ignore those trying to find solutions then it’s the ultimate responsibility of the Diocese of Down and Connor to step in.

Therefore, this Council will seek an urgent meeting of all interested Elected officials across the city, NIHE/DFC officials, management committee of Regina Coeli, Bishop of Down and Connor and the Legion of Mary.

The meeting will discuss all options on how to secure the future of this facility as accommodation for homeless and vulnerable women in the City of Belfast.”

            Councillor McCusker acceded to the proposed amendment and to a further request from Alderman Kingston, that the amended proposal, standing in the name of Councillor McCusker, seconded by Councillor Ferguson, would include a specific reference to the Minister for Communities.  The proposal, as amended, therefore reads:

“This Council notes at the proposed plan by the owners of Regina Coeli to close the hostel and reduce the availability of accommodation for homeless women in the City of Belfast.

Further Amendment

Moved by Councillor Groogan

Seconded by Councillor Smith

      That the motion standing in the name of Councillor McCusker and seconded by Councillor Ferguson be amended as follows:

            To remove everything after the first sentence and replace it with:

“We recognise the difficulty and anxiety this situation is causing for staff and the current residents of Regina Coeli House. This Council calls upon the Minister for Communities and the NIHE to meet with the staff and their representatives as a matter of urgency to help secure alternative employment for them.

This Council, however, regrets that hostel accommodation provided by an external organisation has been one of the only options for women who find themselves homeless until now.  We are deeply concerned about the NIHE’s over-reliance on hostels, largely provided by 3rd parties, to discharge their legal duty to those in need of emergency housing. The impact of hostel accommodation on anyone who finds themselves in this situation can be serious and long-lasting and this is compounded by the fact that it is very rarely a short-term placement.

As such, this Council urges the Minister for Communities and the NIHE to provide housing to those women who are currently reliant on Regina Coeli and ensure they get the wrap-around support that they need at this time. We also call on them to use this situation to urgently move to a Housing First model as a more appropriate and effective model for responding to homelessness, while securing emergency accommodation facilities specifically for women and families in Belfast on an interim basis until this model is fully operational.”

The motion, as amended, therefore reads:

“This Council notes the proposed plan by the owners of Regina Coeli to close the hostel and reduce the availability of accommodation for homeless women in the City of Belfast.

“We recognise the difficulty and anxiety this situation is causing for staff and the current residents of Regina Coeli House. This Council calls upon the Minister for Communities and the NIHE to meet with the staff and their representatives as a matter of urgency to help secure alternative employment for them.

This Council, however, regrets that hostel accommodation provided by an external organisation has been one of the only options for women who find themselves homeless until now.  We are deeply concerned about the NIHE’s over-reliance on hostels, largely provided by 3rd parties, to discharge their legal duty to those in need of emergency housing. The impact of hostel accommodation on anyone who finds themselves in this situation can be serious and long-lasting and this is compounded by the fact that it is very rarely a short-term placement.

As such, this Council urges the Minister for Communities and the NIHE to provide housing to those women who are currently reliant on Regina Coeli and ensure they get the wrap-around support that they need at this time. We also call on them to use this situation to urgently move to a Housing First model as a more appropriate and effective model for responding to homelessness, while securing emergency accommodation facilities specifically for women and families in Belfast on an interim basis until this model is fully operational.”

            The Council agreed to vote on the amendment to the motion, when twelve Members voted for the motion and forty against and it was declared lost.

            The Motion standing in the name of Councillor McCusker, as amended by Councillor McLoughlin and Alderman Kingston, was thereupon put to the Council as the substantive motion and passed.