18 June 2002
NIGEL DODDS WELCOMES REPORT ON HOMELESSNESS
An Assembly Committee report into homelessness in Northern Ireland will play a vital role in future policies to meet housing need and provide good services, the Minister for Social Development, Nigel Dodds MP MLA, said today.
Responding to the second report of the DSD Committee’s Inquiry into Housing, the Minister said he was satisfied that the review’s principal recommendations are broadly in line with current policy and legislative proposals and the Housing Executive’s proposed strategy for dealing with homelessness.
He continued: "My officials and I will require some time to study the full content of the report and make a considered response. Meanwhile, I would assure the Committee of our deep concern about the growing number of households presenting as homeless to the Housing Executive. That is why I have sought additional resources for this particular need group and have agreed that under the auspices of the Promoting Social Inclusion programme this year, my Department should lead out a comprehensive, cross-departmental and cross-sector review of the variety of problems faced by the homeless in accessing services and assistance.
"While factors such as relationship breakdown continue to be major contributors to the problem, increasingly, intimidation is causing people to leave their homes. The deplorable incidents that have been happening in recent weeks put a tremendous burden on all the organisations, which work together to help the homeless.
"Such incidents do nothing to build communities and certainly do nothing to help the plight of those who are homeless. In fact, they have the opposite effect, by reducing the number of houses available for others in need and increasing the time they have to wait to be housed.
"I am encouraged, however, by the willingness of those involved in the care of the homeless to meet the challenges they face. I believe that improvements will be made as the recommendations from these reviews begin to be implemented. I also hope that the extent of the problem and the profile which it is attracting will translate into the additional resources which the reviews have suggested will be required, to deal effectively with it."
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