Street Needs Audit 2023 – Belfast, Derry/Londonderry and Newry

The Street Needs Audit was carried out in three cities across Northern Ireland, with the Housing Executive working alongside the Welcome Organisation who carried out the Belfast and Newry audits and First Housing Aid & Support Services (FHASS) and DePaul (Foyle Haven) carrying out the Derry/Londonderry audit. 

Due to the reported levels of street activity in Belfast and Derry/Londonderry the audit took place over a 6-week period, commencing in Belfast on 3rd February and a week later in Derry/Londonderry on 10th February 2023. The Newry audit was carried out over a 2-week period, which commenced on 18th March 2023.

The main objectives of the Street Needs Audit are to:

• Undertake action research on individuals engaged in rough sleeping and street activity throughout the day and night.
• Proactively engage with individuals to assess immediate needs at the point of contact. 
• Actively assist individuals to return to their accommodation (where applicable) including referrals to the most appropriate support services.
• Identify the nature and frequency of contacts with individuals to inform a case management approach.
• Identify barriers to service entry.
• Promote partnership working around managing and addressing street activity.
• Inform the reconfiguration of homelessness services including assessing the adequacy of crisis and outreach services and informing commissioning priorities.
• Identify non-accommodation-based issues that impact on street activity. 
• In working with the Belfast Complex Lives Team and the Housing Solutions and Support Teams in each of the three cities, the Street Needs Audit will seek to improve the response in meeting the complex needs identified.

Action 8 within the Homelessness Strategy 2022-27 Year 3 Action Plan contains a commitment to …’ explore ways in which we can address the themes outlined in the Street Needs Audit Report published as part of the Year 2 Action Plan.’

The full report can be downloaded below.

Belfast Street Needs Audit – 2016

In 2015/16, the Housing Executive in partnership with The Welcome Organisation, Depaul and Belfast City Centre Management commissioned a Street Needs Audit to understand the reality of street homelessness and rough sleeping in Belfast.

The purpose of the Street Audit was to:

• establish how many people were sleeping rough in Belfast city centre  
• engage with individuals to assess their accommodation needs
• assist individuals to return to their accommodation including referral to the most appropriate support services
• identify any barriers to service entry
• help us redesign our homelessness services
• ensure we have suitable crisis and outreach services
• help ensure we make most effective use of resources

The Street Needs Audit, carried out over an extensive 12-week period, enabled us to identify and target specific interventions toward a group of very complex individuals, and will form the basis for comparative analysis in the future.

The full report can be downloaded below.