12% hike in households in temporary or emergency housing ‘shameful’ says Durkan

The SDLP MLA was speaking after the Housing Executive (NIHE) outlined that the number of placements, including those with children, living in temporary and emergency accommodation across the north, rose from 4,616 in 2019-2020 to 9,381 in 2021-22.

A breakdown for Derry and Strabane showed the number of emergency placements increased by 12 per cent from 1,065 to 1,193 during the same period.

Mr. Durkan said: “It will come as no surprise, given the record-high 45,000 applicants on the social housing waiting list, that the numbers of individuals and families living temporary accommodation placements continues to grow.

“It’s gravely concerning that these figures have more than doubled since 2019 to a staggering 9,381 placements.

"It’s likely that number is even higher given that data for 2022/23 is yet to be published. Worryingly, the removal of European Social Funding during that period and associated job losses, in conjunction with the growing trend of tenants losing private rented accommodation will push many more people into homelessness.

“Behind the thousands of placements are people and families with no home to call their own.

"We must bear in mind that some of these placements include B&B and hostel type accommodation, where families with young children continue to face uncertain circumstances unaware if they will be in a property for three weeks, months or even years.

"This prevents people from setting down roots and securing necessary stability in their lives.

“It’s shameful that right across the North families are being forced into short-term living arrangements because we simply have nowhere else to put them.”

The ‘Journal’ put Mr. Durkan’s criticisms to the NIHE. It referred to its Chief Executive Grainia Long’s recent response to the Department for Communities’ Budget 2023/4.

She said: “At a time when we need to be building more homes, preventing homelessness and helping those experiencing fuel poverty, the proposed budget would result in substantially fewer social homes started than originally planned for next year, an increase in people needing temporary accommodation and the effective suspension of the boiler replacement scheme.”

Ms. Long pointed to ‘unprecedented levels of homelessness’ but a £7.4m shortfall in funding for homeless services.

“It will be virtually impossible to provide services to prevent homelessness, with the overwhelming proportion of the homelessness budget focused on response. Perversely, failure to fund prevention services, will lead to greater numbers living in expensive temporary accommodation, leading to greater budgetary pressures,” she stated.

She said the proposed budget will also have ‘a significant detrimental effect on the social housing new build programme, when demand for housing is at a record high’.

"A funding requirement of £199.5m has been identified in order to target 2,000 new social housing starts in 2023/24, to meet housing need. A funding allocation of between £141.6m and £159m budget is likely. Either scenario will result in substantially fewer homes being built in 2023/4 than originally planned. This means that more households will be waiting longer to have permanent housing offered to them,” she said.

The ‘Journal’ put Mr. Durkan’s comments to DfC which said they were a matter for NIHE.

Over 1,200 homeless applicants placed in temporary housing