Homelessness strategy

Our homelessness strategy

The Housing Executive became responsible for addressing homelessness in Northern Ireland in 1989.

In 2010 a legislative duty was placed on us to formulate and publish a strategy for homelessness. An extensive range of other agencies consider and take into account our homelessness strategy when planning their own functions.

Ending Homelessness Together – Homelessness Strategy 2022-27

On 23rd March 2022 the Housing Executive published ‘Ending Homelessness Together – Homelessness Strategy 2022-27’. The vision of ‘Ending Homelessness Together’ reflects a continued need for the Housing Executive to work with our partners across the sector to address the varied an complex factors that lead to homelessness, many of which extend beyond the provision of accommodation.

At the core of this strategy there are a number of guiding principles that will underpin our approach to both the development and delivery of homelessness services throughout its lifespan. These principles, which are outlined below, have been co-produced with the wider homelessness sector and will be incorporated across each theme to achieve our vision of ‘Ending Homelessness Together’.

• Person centred

• Evidence based

• Partnership working

• Expert led

• Responsive

• Innovative

• Delivering value for money

Objectives of the strategy

We aim to achieve the following three strategic objectives:

• Prioritise homelessness prevention; 
• Address homelessness by providing settled, appropriate accommodation and support; 
• Support customers to transition from homelessness into settled accommodation.

This strategy will evolve based on experiential evidence, emerging pressures and priorities. It is our intention to work towards the defined success criteria outlined in this document by developing the ‘enablers’ and pulling all levers available to us. These enablers are as critical to the success of the strategy as the delivery of the objectives themselves. Relevant actions will be included in the Annual Action Plans to reflect key actions associated with the enablers below.

• Experiential evidence
• Collaboration
• Legislation
• Interdepartmental approach
• Funding
• Staff
• Process

The strategy uses an outcomes-based approach, with three outcomes that aim to make an impact upon the lives of those affected by homelessness.

These outcomes are:

• we have support that prevents us from becoming homeless;
• we live in suitable homes;
• we have the support we require to access and/or sustain a home.

You can find further information on the aims, objectives, vision and outcomes in the Homelessness Strategy 2022-27 and annual Action Plans which are available below:

For any further queries on the Homelessness Strategy please contact homelessness.strategy@nihe.gov.uk

Ending homelessness together

The Housing Executive’s homelessness strategy, Ending Homelessness Together, published in April 2017, provides strategic direction for addressing homelessness in Northern Ireland through to March 2022.

We developed the strategy in partnership with a wide range of statutory and voluntary agencies who sit on the Central Homelessness Forum, which acted as a consultative body.

The strategy recognises the important role of other agencies in providing advice, assistance and support to prevent households reaching crisis point. Partnership working is at the core of our homelessness strategy, and is reflected in its vision of ‘ending homelessness together’.

Objectives of the strategy

We aim to achieve the following five strategic objectives:

1. To prioritise the prevention of homelessness.

2. To secure sustainable accommodation and appropriate support for homeless households.

3. To further understand and address the complexities of chronic homelessness across Northern Ireland.

4. To ensure the right mechanisms are in place to oversee and deliver this strategy.

5. To measure and monitor existing and emerging need to inform the ongoing development of appropriate services.

The strategy uses an outcomes-based approach, with three outcomes that aim to make an impact upon the lives of those affected by homelessness.

These outcomes are:

• we have support that prevents us from becoming homeless
• we live in suitable homes
• we have the support we require to access and/or sustain a home

You can find further information on the aims, objectives, vision and outcomes in our strategy document Ending Homelessness Together – Homelessness Strategy for Northern Ireland 2017-2022 (PDF 611 kB)

Homelessness Strategy Annual Progress Reports

You can now read the Homelessness Strategy Annual Progress Reports via the links below.

Chronic Homelessness Action Plan

Chronic homelessness is the most severe type of homelessness. It can affect any household type - from individuals to large families. It can have many effects, including rough sleeping or street activity.

Homelessness is difficult for anyone who experiences it. To deal with it effectively we need to find out how long and how severe the experience has been for the variety of people who are homeless. The Chronic Homelessness Action Plan considers those who are experiencing it.  The Plan identifies a group of individuals with complex support needs who find it difficult to escape from homelessness. It was developed in response to feedback from the individuals and groups active in the homelessness sector. 

The Homelessness Strategy Steering Group is an interdepartmental and multi-agency group. It is responsible for delivering the Strategy. In March 2018 we made a commitment to this Group to develop an Action Plan.