The Housing Executive is set to buy a number of homes to be used as temporary accommodation in a bid to reduce B&B use and overall costs. On Monday, new figures revealed the housing body spent more than £12 million putting homeless people in hotels and B&Bs in a single year.
Now, a new initative has been approved by the Communities Minister, which will allow the Housing Executive to buy up to 600 homes over the next three years to be used as temporary accommodation. It's hoped this will improve provision and reduce costs by up to £75 million over the next seven years.
Temporary accommodation is short-term housing provided to those who are homeless and in priority need. It can involve placing people in hotels and B&Bs, which are referred to as ‘non-standard accommodation.'
Read more: Housing Executive spends £12m putting homeless people in hotels and B&Bs
Read more: Belfast Council plan could see empty homes used to tackle housing shortage
The numbers affected have grown significantly in recent years, to the point where – on a given night – up to 450 households could be in non-standard accommodation. The cost of providing non-standard Temporary Accommodation has also increased substantially, from £668,425 in 2017/18 to over £12million in 2023/24.
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said: “When I launched the Executive Housing Supply Strategy, I said we had to be radical and innovative in our approach to housing. We live in times of unprecedented housing stress. That means looking at new ways of doing things as we seek to tackle the challenges we face.
"In relation to Temporary Accommodation, it is clear that the status quo cannot continue, and we must act. That is why I have approved a plan which will allow the Housing Executive to purchase up to 600 homes over the next three years to use as Temporary Accommodation.
“It will reduce reliance on, costly, hotel and B&B accommodation. Also, it will allow the NIHE to invest in prevention activity - supporting families experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness."
This announcement is the latest in a range of measures following the Housing Supply Strategy to address housing need across all sectors. This includes funding more homes, providing necessary support and ensuring the most effective help is available for those in crisis. It also aligns with the Programme for Government target to focus on preventing homelessness, making it brief, rare and non-recurrent.
Housing Executive Chief Executive Grainia Long said: “The Housing Executive prioritises high quality temporary accommodation, with the majority of the provision in Northern Ireland being single lets. We remain committed to reducing the cost and use of B&B accommodation, and that work continues at pace.
"We recommended this proposal to purchase properties for use as temporary accommodation, and I am delighted that Minister Lyons has agreed. This will allow us to expand the use of cost-effective, own front door temporary accommodation. It will reduce costs, and allow more households to access higher quality accommodation better suited to their needs.”
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
English (United States) ·