Housing Rights believes in a society in which everyone has a home. We believe our values of equality and respect should characterise our conduct with each other. We are deeply troubled by the events of the last few days in Belfast.
As we continue to reach out to our partners in newcomer communities to offer our assistance with any housing needs linked with these events, we think it is important to re-state the facts when discussing housing and immigration.
Focusing on the facts about the impact of immigration on housing
Northern Ireland is indeed in a housing crisis. Too many people wait too long for a home that meets their family’s needs. But this crisis is not caused by people who seek sanctuary here.
Home Office statistics show proportionately low numbers of asylum seekers in Northern Ireland compared to other parts of the UK [1]. NISRA statistics also show that the population change in Northern Ireland because of migration is small (an additional 2,300 people in 2022) [2].
The pressure in our housing system has been caused by the fact that, for years, we have not built enough new social homes to meet the rising level of need.
While seeking asylum, people live in accommodation provided by the UK Home Office. Only once a strict process has concluded and a decision been made that someone has a legal right to remain in Northern Ireland, can anyone apply for support with their housing from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) [3].
NIHE uses 4 legal tests to determine if someone is entitled to access social housing [4]. The tests applied in Northern Ireland are amongst the strictest in all of the UK [5].
There has been a huge increase in the number of people who meet these legal tests and who need a home. The waiting list for social housing has increased by 72% in the last 20 years, with 27,515 on the social housing waiting list in 2003/04 [6] compared with 47,312 households now on the social housing waiting list in Northern Ireland [7]. There are lots of reasons for the increase, not least the Covid pandemic and the economic crisis which followed.
However, the increase in housing demand has not been matched by an increase in supply. This is not a new problem, but it is one which has gotten worse. According to NIHE, budget cuts for this year will mean cuts to vital housing services and will allow for only 400 new social homes to be built in 2024-25, rather than the target of 2,000. NIHE has also confirmed that they sell on average 500 social homes each year through the House Sales Scheme [8], leaving us with 100 social homes less by the end of this year than we have at the minute. This will have a significant impact on our ability to meet the level of housing need and this must be urgently and unequivocally prioritised by the Northern Ireland Executive.
Housing Rights is one of a number of housing sector organisations calling on the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure the Department for Communities has the funding to build enough new homes for people who need them [9].
Solving the housing crisis requires adequate investment to meet the housing need that exists in Northern Ireland. This will mean more resources and greater partnership working and collaboration, not division. We must take swift and decisive action to meet this crisis head-on so that everyone has a safe and stable place to call home.
[1] NI hosts just 2.5% of asylum seekers in the UK, as reported by the Law Centre NI https://shorturl.at/GlqQZ
[2] As a result of migration, there was a net population increase of 2,300 people in 2022, according to NISRA https://www.nisra.gov.uk/system/files/statistics/Statistical%20Bulletin%20-%202022%20Mid-year%20Population%20Estimates%20for%20Northern%20Ireland.pdf
[3] People seeking asylum | Housing Rights
[4] Homelessness assessment | Housing Rights
[5] Page 16, CBP-7201.pdf (parliament.uk)
[6] ni-housing-stats-21-22-tables3.ods
[7] Northern Ireland Housing Bulletin January - March 2024 (nisra.gov.uk)
[8] Committee for Communities Meeting, Thursday 21 March 2024 - Northern Ireland Assembly TV (niassembly.tv) 2h, 40m