More than 5,000 people in Belfast presented themselves as homeless to the Housing Executive in the last year
More than 5,000 people in Belfast presented themselves as homeless to the Housing Executive in the last year, while over 11,000 were classified as being in “housing stress” and on the housing waiting list in the city.
Figures show that with only 1,678 homes being allocated to waiting list applicants in this period, only a ninth of those in housing stress were accommodated in the last year by the Housing Executive. Meanwhile 3,292 people who presented as homeless were accepted for support last year, with the official figure for homelessness in the city by HE over the period as 5,079.
The Housing Executive, in its yearly report to Belfast Council at City Hall this week, produced a list of figures both positive and negative, with the Housing Executive Chief Executive Grainia Long admitting to councillors “new social homes being built fall short of what is required.”
READ MORE: Havelock House social housing development passes final hurdle, despite “entire Donegall Pass being against it”
READ MORE: Details for Belfast Hill Street pedestrianisation plans revealed
At a special meeting of the council’s People and Communities Committee on Tuesday evening (November 18), officials from HE said Northern Ireland Housing Executive investment in Belfast City Council during 2024/25 amounted to over a third of a billion, at £340.45million.
A total of £38.23million was invested in Housing Executive properties through planned maintenance and stock improvements during 2024/25 in Belfast. A further proposed spend of £45.57 million is planned for Housing Executive homes across the city in 2025/26. £14.90 million was spent on energy efficiency improvement measures across HE homes in Belfast in that time.
Over the 2024/25 year in Belfast, the housing waiting list included 11,203 applicants in housing stress by 31 March 2025. Single and small family households comprise 79 percent of the housing stress waiting list in the council area. 1,678 homes were allocated to waiting list applicants in this period.
In the city 5,079 people presented as homeless during 2024/25, 3,292 of whom were awarded homeless full duty status. 1,797 new builds of HE homes units are onsite, with 1,883 planned to start in the next three years. 55 HE properties sold to sitting tenants during 2024/25 in Belfast.
At the meeting, Grainia Long said: “The rent levels set over the last three years have given us some additional capacity to invest in our own homes. Last year we were able to make significant investments in improving our homes and, assuming rent levels remain stable, we plan to invest £750 million into our housing stock across Northern Ireland over the next three years.
“We are pleased to be able to deliver for our tenants however we do have concerns about the impact of the housing budget for 2025/26, specifically on the ambitions for increasing housing supply.
“Investment in new-build homes in the city saw 1,797 housing association units on-site at March 2025, and 318 housing completions for the year. Any addition to housing stock is a benefit, however the pressure on future capital spending will continue into 2025/26, and we will see another year where the number of new social homes being built falls short of what is required.
“We must continue to collaborate with councils and the housing sector to find solutions.”
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter
#housing #stress #Belfast #allocated #home #Housing #Executive #year
