New Homelessness Commission for Northern Ireland announced by Communities Minister at Housing Rights’ Stormont event will examine homelessness legislation and how reform can be delivered in practice
Housing Rights has welcomed the Communities Minister’s announcement of a new Homelessness Commission for Northern Ireland to consider changes to Northern Ireland’s approach to homelessness, including both legal reform and how change can be effectively implemented.
Minister Gordon Lyons MLA announced the move at Housing Rights’ Transforming Prevention Together: Improving Lives and Making the Best Use of Resources event at Parliament Buildings on Monday.
Housing Rights has been calling for a shift away from a system that too often intervenes only after people reach crisis, towards one which places a greater emphasis on preventing homelessness in the first place.
A discussion paper published by the charity earlier this year made the case for an expert-led process to consider reform of Northern Ireland’s homelessness system, including the potential for a statutory homelessness prevention duty and the practical steps needed to ensure legislative change delivers meaningful results.
Kate McCauley, Chief Executive of Housing Rights, said:
We warmly welcome the Minister’s announcement. This is an important step towards the transformation of our homelessness system that Housing Rights and many others have been advocating.
No one should have to lose their home before they can access the support they need. We need a system that consistently acts early enough to make a difference, with preventing homelessness a shared responsibility across public services.
We are particularly pleased that this work will consider not only legislation, but how change can be implemented effectively. Experience elsewhere shows that changing the law is only part of the picture. Reform must be backed by the right systems, resources and collaboration if it is to deliver meaningful change for people at risk of homelessness.
The time for transformation is now. We look forward to working constructively with the Minister, the Department and partners across the system as this important work progresses.
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said:
I have consistently demonstrated my commitment to transform how we address homelessness and rough sleeping. Instead of reacting to crisis, we must prevent it from happening in the first place.
Alongside crucial investment in Strategic Homelessness Prevention, the New Foundations Project, and the Loan to Acquire Move-On Accommodation (LAMA) Scheme, I am now progressing plans for the establishment of a Homelessness Commission for Northern Ireland.
This once-in-a-generation commission is our opportunity to reset our approach to homelessness, placing prevention and early intervention at the heart of the system. By harnessing expertise from across the sector, and working on a cross-government basis, we can help shape a system that delivers earlier support, better outcomes and greater stability when people are at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness.
The announcement came as MLAs, public service leaders, homelessness experts and people with lived experience gathered at Stormont to consider how Northern Ireland can strengthen its approach to homelessness prevention.
Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick of Heriot-Watt University, who chaired expert review processes that informed homelessness prevention reforms in Scotland and Wales, shared lessons from those jurisdictions. The Centre for Homelessness Impact also explored the systems required to ensure legislation translates into effective practice on the ground.
Housing Rights believes the new Homelessness Commission for Northern Ireland represents an opportunity to build on this learning and consider how Northern Ireland can develop an approach that delivers earlier intervention and better outcomes for people at risk of homelessness.
ENDS
Notes to editors
- Housing Rights is Northern Ireland’s leading independent provider of specialist housing advice. Established in 1964, the charity works to help people in housing need and uses the experience of its advice services to inform policy and advocate for change.
- Transforming Prevention Together: Improving Lives and Making the Best Use of Resources took place in the Long Gallery at Parliament Buildings on 14 September 2026. The event was sponsored by Kellie Armstrong MLA, with co-sponsors Colm Gildernew MLA and Andy Allen MLA.
- The event brought together people with lived experience, policymakers, public services, the voluntary and community sector and homelessness experts to consider how Northern Ireland can strengthen its approach to homelessness prevention.
Media contact:
Róisín Burns
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07566 793784
Photography:
Photo caption: Communities Minister Gordon Lyons pictured with Housing Rights CEO Kate McCauley at Parliament Buildings.
