Call for Permanent Housing Amid Rising Rental Costs
A homeless man in Northern Ireland has urged for increased efforts to provide permanent housing and address the escalating cost of private rental accommodation.
Curtis DuRose, who has been residing in temporary accommodation at a Simon Community hostel in Bangor since December, described the situation as
"demoralising"due to the lack of a permanent home.
"Although it is nice to have a roof over my head, and not be worried about being on the streets, it is temporary,"he said.
The Department for Communities stated that Minister Gordon Lyons has
"ring fenced" an additional £2.5m for strategic homelessness prevention this year and into the future.
DuRose shared his background, noting that he was previously a business owner and worked as a head chef in Scotland but is currently unable to secure even a minimum wage dishwashing job in Northern Ireland.
"There just doesn't seem to be any money in this country, the economy is dead,"he said.
"And I would definitely put a large part of the housing situation to that."
Impact of Temporary Accommodation Spending and Airbnb on Housing
DuRose spoke out following a report by the Northern Ireland Assembly's Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which highlighted that multi-million pound expenditures on temporary accommodation and insufficient preventative planning are exacerbating the homelessness crisis.
The report revealed that the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) spent approximately £40m on temporary accommodation during the 2024/25 financial year, including £17m on
"non-standard" hotels and B&Bs.
This represents a significant increase from £7.6m spent on temporary accommodation in 2018/19.
Last month, it was reported that restrictions on Airbnb-style lets in the Inverness area of Scotland are being considered due to concerns about their effects on local communities.
DuRose attributed the rise in private rental costs in Northern Ireland partly to the increase in Airbnb-style accommodation.
"It is more profitable to own an Airbnb rather than rent a property to a permanent tenant,"he claimed.
"Due to that, there are now less houses available to rent which puts the price up – demand and supply – it is now a more rare commodity and therefore everyone is just hyping the prices up,"DuRose added.
Homelessness Services Under Pressure
Jim Dennison from the Simon Community stated that the PAC report confirmed the necessity for a change in the approach to homelessness.
"People and families remain trapped"in hotels, B&Bs, and temporary accommodation, he said.
"Until funding matches ambition and need, services will remain under intense pressure and people will continue to face uncertainty,"Dennison added.
Nicola McCrudden of Homeless Connect emphasized that to reduce homelessness figures, the Stormont executive must provide
"long term, consistent funding."
David Carroll, chief executive of the homeless charity Depaul, welcomed the PAC's recommendation that the Housing Executive publish within six months its plans to purchase the 600 homes designated for temporary accommodation.
"Depaul would call for a proportion of these properties to be designated as housing first type accommodation aimed at getting rough sleepers off the street,"he said.
Current Measures and Funding
The Northern Ireland Housing Executive reported that it has prioritised reducing reliance on hotels and B&Bs, which are widely recognised as unsuitable and significantly more expensive for households experiencing homelessness.
It added that its use of hotels is
"significantly" lower than elsewhere in the UK,and that most temporary accommodation in Northern Ireland consists of single-let properties in the private rented sector.
A spokesperson for the Department for Communities noted that, in addition to the £2.5m allocated for Strategic Homelessness Prevention, Minister Lyons has provided an extra £3m for the New Foundations Project, which aims to prevent care leavers from becoming homeless.
Furthermore, £10m has been allocated for the LAMA scheme to assist homelessness organisations in purchasing homes for people currently living in hostels.
