Housing Rights welcome this opportunity to contribute a number of overarching comments and specific suggestions which the NIHE may wish to consider when amending and refining the existing strategy.
The strategy’s commitment to collaboration, which has been carried through from the last strategy, is welcome. However, in Housing Rights view this section needs significant strengthening to make it both more robust and meaningful. This response proposes that an outcome and associated indicators are added with respect to this and proposed wording for same are included for consideration.
To strengthen the collaborative approach proposed in this strategy, Housing Rights would support legislative change to strengthen collaboration between statutory bodies and has therefore recommended to the Department for Communities that it should bring forward legislative reform to place a statutory duty to cooperate in the prevention and alleviation of homelessness on each of the statutory bodies named in s6A (5) of the Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 1988.
Housing Rights strongly welcomes the NIHE’s commitment throughout the strategy to listen and respond to people who have lived experiences of homelessness.
In recognition of the intensive investment of time and resources to facilitate this new process, Housing Rights would suggest that it should be named as a fourth objective of the strategy. Housing Rights has also recommended proposed wording for both an outcome and associated indicators which would reflect the importance of this objective and allow its achievement to be measured from an Outcomes Based Approach perspective.
Housing Rights is acutely aware of the difficulties in the private rented sector which significantly contribute to homelessness. Our assessment of the current draft strategy however is that references to the private rented sector are muted. Housing Rights views it as appropriate for the flagship strategy to prevent homelessness to more overtly address the issue of the private rented sector. The challenges associated with the sector in terms of affordability, fitness, security etc. should more comprehensively be noted to reflect the private tenancies’ unsuitability for people/ families who are homeless or people/ families whose housing circumstances make them vulnerable to homelessness.
Housing Rights welcomes the NIHE’s independent research project which evaluates the delivery of the Homelessness Strategy 2017-2022. However, Housing Rights believe the timing of the evaluation may present challenges to incorporating all learning into this current strategy.
Housing Rights’ welcome the inclusion in the evaluation Terms of Reference of the requirement to explore the effectiveness of inter-agency working in the delivery of the Homelessness Strategy 2017 – 2022 and any aspects of this which could be improved in the development and delivery of the Homelessness Strategy 2022 – 2027