The Strangford MLA said: “The Department for Communities' latest release of homelessness figures highlights the growing crisis we are experiencing in Northern Ireland and clearly shows that the current homeless prevention actions and strategies from the department are not working.
“The statistics show that the number of households living in temporary accommodation has more than doubled over the last five years. These are children growing up in hostels, young families locked out of a future, and elderly people left in unsuitable accommodation.
“A large part of this problem is the delay in the construction of social homes. Despite the growing need, we are building fewer homes today than we have in 60 years, and this is a cross-departmental failure.
“We have an underfunded water infrastructure system that prevents new homes from connecting to the sewage system. We have government departments and councils sitting on public land that should be released for housing, and we have an electricity grid that is also causing delays to connections.
“I was glad when the Housing Supply Strategy was published, but a strategy is only as good as the action that follows, and we are missing action. We need to see a cross-departmental action plan tied to the strategy so we can tackle these issues, reduce waiting lists, and meet new build targets.
“It's time the Department for Communities and the Executive prioritised investment in helping the most vulnerable in our society. Anything less would be another delay, and for too many families, delay means despair.”
“The statistics show that the number of households living in temporary accommodation has more than doubled over the last five years. These are children growing up in hostels, young families locked out of a future, and elderly people left in unsuitable accommodation.
“A large part of this problem is the delay in the construction of social homes. Despite the growing need, we are building fewer homes today than we have in 60 years, and this is a cross-departmental failure.
“We have an underfunded water infrastructure system that prevents new homes from connecting to the sewage system. We have government departments and councils sitting on public land that should be released for housing, and we have an electricity grid that is also causing delays to connections.
“I was glad when the Housing Supply Strategy was published, but a strategy is only as good as the action that follows, and we are missing action. We need to see a cross-departmental action plan tied to the strategy so we can tackle these issues, reduce waiting lists, and meet new build targets.
“It's time the Department for Communities and the Executive prioritised investment in helping the most vulnerable in our society. Anything less would be another delay, and for too many families, delay means despair.”