Homelessness – What’s happening in Northern Ireland?

Everything at once!

( and not a lot of it good)

The Three Main Events

Homelessness Strategy for NI 2012 -2017

Housing Strategy for NI 2012-2017

Housing Related Support Strategy 2012-2015

Homelessness Strategy - Objectives

To place homelessness prevention at the forefront of

service delivery

To reduce the length of time households & individuals experience homelessness

by improving access to affordable housing

To remove the need to sleep rough

To improve services to vulnerable households and

individuals

Housing Strategy - Themes

Ensuring access to decent, affordable sustainable homes

across all tenures

Meeting housing needs and supporting the most

vulnerable

Housing and Welfare Reform

Driving regeneration and sustaining communities

through housing

Getting the structures right

Housing Related Support

Quality and outcomes

Early intervention

Accessing and exiting services

Commissioning

Drive efficiency and value for money

Client involvement and personalisation

Review of Housing Associations

And the rest....

Review of Temporary Accommodation

Review of the Administration of Supporting People

Review of the NI Housing Executive

Review of Social Housing Allocation

Homelessness

Strategic function moving to DSD away from NIHE

Homelessness Strategy not integrated into the Housing strategy

Any new allocation policy for social housing likely to disadvantage singles

Very little overt mention of Supported Temp. Accommodation

Possibility of most of SP funding transferring to Health

Introduction of competitive tendering for SP funding

Move towards floating support and the re-modelling of hostels

The Elephant in the Room

Excess Payment Award

7,000 households

LHA drop to 30th percentile

53,000 households, with approx 30,000 new applicants

per annum

Under-occupation in Social Housing

32,000 applicable households

SAR5,300 claimants January

2012, 3,000 new claims p.a.

Non-dependent deductions

3,500

Benefit Cap3,000 claimants

The housing market

Social housing

119,000 homes

20% of stock in PRS

5% of stock1 bedroom across all tenures

15.2% of stock2 bedrooms across all

tenures

90% of social housing stock in single identity estates

8,400 HMOs70% for students

84 HMOs in rural NI

continued

Banks not lending

£6.8m DHP to cover £24m shortfall in just SAR &under-occupation which are current

priorities.

Homeless presentations up 21% in 1st quarter 2012/13-

surprise!

House prices continue to fall

80% of HB paid directly to landlords in both sectors

DHP potentially to be subsumed into new Social Fund. No mention of ring-

fencing housing costs

increased competition for PRS and no need to reduce rents

The overall picture

12% households do not have bank account

36% of social tenants have NO bank account

Estimated NI will take 10 more years to come out of

recession

24% of workers in NI below the living wage of £7.20 per

hour. Highest in UK

60% population have IT access. Lowest rate among

unemployed

Lowest rate of broadband coverage in the UK

which allows money to be paid in or DDs to be paid out.

1600 public sector jobs to go due to Universal Credit

32,500 households

continued

60% of tenants knew nothing of LHA changes at all, until they were informed of a drop in their entitlement

WR Bill aiming for Royal Assent March 2013

46% of private landlords were unaware of the changes to LHA after it was introduced

No tenants in social housing have been formally made

aware of the change in HB for under-occupation

Under-occupation to be implemented April 2013

A little good news..

Direct payment of housing costs to landlords to

continue

Split payments in households

Fortnightly payments of universal credit

Consideration of 6 month delay in implementing

Under-occupation

May chuck it completely!

Universal credit delayed for 6 months

The disconnect

Very little acknowledgement of the impact of WR on the new Strategies – or even

mature reflection

Severely restricted budgets, ideological change and the

prevention agenda

Dependency on the PRS in a time of housing ‘bust’

Rhetoric of affordability as unemployment rises, there is no more work or better

paid work – or even a work programme for NI

Likely consequences

Homelessness will increase

Temporary accommodation will change in form and

function New vision for the purpose of social housing

Housing policy in NI will be adapted to fit Westminster

legislation

Policy development likely to ‘follow the money’