With the social housing waiting list now exceeding 50,000 households, and more than 33,000 households recorded as homeless, housing and homelessness represent one of the most significant policy challenges facing the Northern Ireland Executive in the next mandate.
These figures reflect a sustained increase in housing need. Each household on the waiting list represents individuals or families living in overcrowded, unsuitable, or insecure accommodation, or without a permanent home. The scale of the issue demonstrates that the current housing system is not meeting demand.
Although this threshold has been anticipated for some time, the continued rise underscores the need for a coordinated, strategic response. Housing supply and homelessness prevention must form the core of that response.
In May 2024, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, Professor Balakrishnan Rajagopal, visited Northern Ireland. He recognised the pressures within the housing system and emphasised that homelessness is a solvable issue if action is taken promptly. He recommended strong, rights‑based legislation focused on increasing supply and preventing homelessness.
Since then, progress on both fronts has been limited. There has been little legislative movement on homelessness prevention or on measures designed to accelerate housing supply. As time passes, the scale and cost of the challenge continues to grow.
Several priority areas should guide an effective response to the current housing pressures. These include;
1. Increasing Housing Supply
The Executive will need to create conditions that enable greater capital investment in social housing. A critical component of this is addressing constraints in water and wastewater infrastructure, which currently limit the development of new homes in many areas.
Investment in social housing has the potential to generate long‑term savings across government departments. Evidence from the UK and Ireland shows that increased supply can reduce expenditure on temporary accommodation, improve health and social outcomes, reduce justice‑related costs, and support job creation through construction.
2. Introducing a Statutory Duty to Prevent Homelessness
If supply is one-half of the solution, prevention is the other. Preventing homelessness is widely recognised as more cost‑effective and less disruptive than responding after a crisis occurs.
Housing Rights has published a discussion paper drawing on learning from other UK jurisdictions where statutory prevention duties are already in place. These duties require housing authorities and relevant public bodies to intervene earlier, coordinate support, and take reasonable steps to prevent homelessness.
Northern Ireland currently lacks such a statutory framework. Beyond providing advice, the Housing Executive has no legal duty to prevent homelessness, and other statutory bodies have no obligation to assist. This places Northern Ireland at a disadvantage compared with other regions.
3. Embedding Housing and Homelessness in the Programme for Government
Political parties should commit to concrete actions on supply and prevention in their manifestos. A dedicated housing and homelessness action plan should form part of the next Programme for Government, with clear timelines, responsibilities, and measurable outcomes.
Without decisive action, waiting list numbers are likely to continue rising, increasing pressure on public services and limiting opportunities for long‑term improvement.
Northern Ireland has the evidence, the policy learning, and the tools required to address current housing pressures. Progress will depend on prioritising investment in supply, strengthening prevention measures, and embedding these commitments within the next Programme for Government. Taking these steps now would help create a more sustainable and effective housing system.
Prompts used:
- Limit/Reduce the use of emotive language
- Increase the focus on the factual information we know
- Highlight the potential solutions discussed