SDLP Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan
An Assembly question tabled by Mr Durkan revealed that spend on non-standard housing accommodation such as hotels and B&Bs has risen from zero on 2016/17 to an expected expenditure of £16.6 million for 2024/25.
This equates to an average daily expenditure of £45,574.
Said the Foyle MLA: “This spend is worse than eye-watering; at this stage it’s eye-searing!
“In the context of current budget pressures, such an exorbitant level of spend on what is essentially a quick fix, is unforgivable.
“I’ve warned about this situation since temporary housing costs exploded during the pandemic.
“I was told by the then Communities Minister and the Housing Executive that this was an interim measure aimed at getting a roof of people’s heads.
“That measure appears to be the primary answer, a very lazy and inept one at that, to homelessness in the North.
“The figures don’t lie and despite more and more money being thrown at short stay placements like hotels and B&Bs, this approach is not working and in fact contributing to longer term homelessness.
“We have a 47,000 long, and growing, social housing waiting list.
“How can the Communities Minister see fit to cut funding to homelessness prevention programmes, especially in places like Derry where housing need is greatest, but at the same time pour money down the drain of temporary accommodation?
“Temporary accommodation has been used as a sticking plaster to the gaping wound of housing, rather than stemming the flow, it’s bleeding us dry.
“Worse yet is the cost on families, both social and financial.
“The children forced to move from hotel to hotel deprived of stability; a quiet space to do their homework, somewhere to play and promote their development or facilities to cook a healthy meal.
“This situation was forewarned and despite the publication of a Housing Supply Strategy, the Executive has failed to see the seriousness of the situation and take immediate steps to address this spiralling spend.
“This money would be better spent on homelessness prevention initiatives, promised support for private renters to help them sustain tenancies and meaningful measures to bring some 22,000 empty homes back in to use.
“People are paying the price not just for bad policy but for the Executive’s apathy towards homelessness.”
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