homelessness – what’s happening in northern ireland?
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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. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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’