Everyone should have a home, be able to live independently, and live in communities with dignity, respect and equality. 

This Homelessness Awareness Week , we’re calling for changes to housing to prevent and reduce homelessness, as well as to address wider inequalities in housing. We welcome the recent announcement by the Department for Communities of a £6.7m investment for the Housing Executive to fund homelessness support services, but long-term inequalities still need to be addressed. 

Addressing housing inequalities in the Programme for Government  

It was encouraging to see housing identified as a priority area in the recent draft Programme for Government. Equally positive was the acknowledgement of the need to prevent homelessness for young people leaving care.  

It is concerning, however, that the draft fails to explicitly recognise housing inequalities or include specific actions to address them. We’re calling for these to be included in the final Programme for Government.  

Everyone experiencing homelessness should be supported, but actions to address housing inequalities and homelessness must also meet the specific needs of different groups.  

For example, it is important to provide: 

• support for single men and younger people who are most likely to present as homeless. Those who are single and under 35 are often only entitled to the lower shared accommodation rate within the housing element of Universal Credit. Due to the lack of one-bedroom properties, they are often placed in hostels or other temporary accommodation.  

• support for refugees and asylum seekers in temporary accommodation, ensuring they are aware of their rights and options. We note recent observations from the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, highlighting that the 28-day move-on period for newly recognised refugees to transition from asylum support to mainstream benefits is a major obstacle to integration. This short timeframe often leaves refugees homeless and destitute.  

• available and suitable accommodation for older people. Three-quarters of those over 60 who present as homeless do so because their current accommodation is no longer suitable, often due to complex needs such as disability.  

Further actions needed to improve equality in housing 

We also continue to call for other important actions to improve equality in housing, such as addressing waiting list inequalities, meeting the housing needs of Irish Travellers, and ensuring disabled people are  supported to live independently.  

As we mark Homelessness Awareness Week, we urge you to support our housing recommendations and help create positive change for those affected by homelessness.

Homelessness Awareness Week 2024 runs from Monday 2 to Sunday 8 December.