This Christmas, almost 5,000 children in the North will be spending the holiday in makeshift housing, reports Breaking News.
It has come to light that 3,385 of the 5,378 youngsters in temporary housing in November were younger than nine years old.
Since January 2019, when just over 2,433 children were living in temporary housing, the number has increased by 121%.
Approximately 4,908 households were reported to be in temporary housing overall in November, which is more than twice as many as the 2,065 families reported in 2019, reports Breaking News.
In the meanwhile, 8,250 families reported homelessness to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive between April and September.
With 7.5 presentations per 1,000 persons, Belfast had the greatest presentation rate (2,597 presentations overall between April and September).
The Mid and East Antrim Council region came in second with a score of 4.8 and Derry City and Strabane Council (960 presentations) with a rating of 6.4, reports Breaking News.
According to Homeless Connect CEO Nicola McCrudden, the numbers are startling.
“In the run-up to the festive season, it should shock us all that more than 5,300 children are spending Christmas in temporary accommodation. I know that homelessness services who provide accommodation and support will do their very best to make this a happy time and ensure that no one goes without. However, understandably, what families really want is a home of their own. Sadly, for many experiencing homelessness, having a place of their own is becoming an aspiration,” reports Breaking News.
According to Ms. McCrudden, the acute lack of housing in general and social housing in particular is directly related to the growing number of people in need of temporary lodging.
“The main reason for families and single people presenting as homeless to the Housing Executive is that their current accommodation is not suitable for a variety of reasons including disability, financial difficulty, violence and overcrowding. Other significant factors include breakdowns in sharing arrangements and loss of rented accommodation – which is becoming more frequent as many tenants struggle to meet rising rental costs,” reports Breaking News.
“In recent months, the Minister for Communities has announced a range of positive measures including the publication of a housing supply strategy and his intention for a specific allocation for homelessness prevention. Homelessness is solvable. If we are to turn the curve on homelessness, we need to increase housing supply and affordability – including tackling issues of poverty. We need long-term, committed investment in housing provision, in homelessness prevention and funding for key interventions to support people at the right time and in the right place,” reports Breaking News.
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