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Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has committed to delivering a fundamental change in how homelessness is addressed in ]the north, with a new Homelessness Commission for Northern Ireland being established.
Speaking at a Housing Rights event in Parliament Buildings, the Minister set out plans to reset the north's approach to tackling homelessness, placing prevention at the heart of the system and improving outcomes for those at risk. He described the reform as a once-in-a-generation shift from crisis response to prevention and early intervention, to be supported by the new commission.
Minister Lyons said: "I am committed to bringing about a comprehensive and meaningful system change so that, working together, we can make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring.
"I intend to shortly bring forward to the Executive plans for the establishment of a Homelessness Commission for Northern Ireland.
"Independent, expert panels will carry out comprehensive reviews of our homelessness legislative framework and the operational and institutional changes required to transform how we prevent and respond to homelessness. The commission will also draw on the experiences of those who have lived through homelessness, with a firm focus on prevention and early intervention."
The Minister said the commission would help drive meaningful change by preventing homelessness wherever possible. He added: "I am determined to deliver a lasting shift in how we address homelessness and rough sleeping, moving away from reacting to crisis and towards preventing it from happening in the first place.
"By harnessing expertise from across the sector, and working on a cross-government basis, we can help shape a system that delivers earlier support, better outcomes and greater stability when people are at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness."
Minister Lyons pointed to a number of investments made during his time in office as evidence of his commitment to tackling homelessness. These include the ringfencing of an additional £2.5million for Strategic Homelessness Prevention in 2025/26, with a commitment for further ringfenced funding in 2026/27, along with more than £9million allocated to the New Foundations Project, which helps ensure care leavers do not become homeless. A further £10m has been provided for the Loan to Acquire Move-on Accommodation Scheme, enabling homelessness organisations to purchase homes for people currently living in hostels, while funding for the Supporting People programme has increased from £72.8million a year to around £84million in 2025/26, protecting ongoing investment in homelessness services.
