The Housing Executive is responsible for the administration of the the Hate Incident Practical Action (HIPA) Scheme. This is available across Northern Ireland to support victims of hate incidents in their home and can provide personal and home protection measures if the home has been damaged.
It is also available if you are a victim who has been targeted close to your home and the motivation of the attack is racist, homophobic, transphobic, disabilist, sectarian or faith related.
You can access the scheme whether you own your home or you rent it.
How the scheme works
You must report the hate incident to the police to be eligible for support. When a hate incident is confirmed by the police, we may carry out minimum repairs to secure your home. This ensures your home is wind and watertight.
If you are homeless, or threatened with homelessness, we may also arrange for your possessions to be placed in a storage facility, in cases where we consider re-housing necessary. Where this is required you will be assisted by your local Housing Executive office.
You will then be visited by your local Crime Prevention Officer, if you request it. They can provide you with a personal attack alarm and can talk to you about extra security measures.
You can also seek help from other organisations such as Victim Support Northern Ireland. Its specialist advocates will offer advice and support for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender victims, as well as victims from minority ethnicities and those with a disability.
The scheme offers support 24 hours a day. If you want to report an incident contact your local PSNI station on 101 and state that it is a hate incident.
You can also report an incident online at www.psni.police.uk
For further information about the scheme, contact us on 03448 920 900
