NI Assembly's Committee for Communities focus on homelessness at Clooney Hall

The Northern Ireland Assembly’s Committee for Communities held their meeting at Clooney Hall, in Derry/Londonderry on Thursday 12 December.

The main focus of the meeting was homelessness and hearing directly from groups providing services to people locally.

Committee Deputy Chairperson Ciara Ferguson MLA said: “The Committee has heard from a wide range of groups raising concerns about the increasing levels of housing stress and homelessness and the fragility of the vital support services

“Committee Members were keen to take the meeting out of Parliament Buildings and to the North West in order to gain further insight into the support projects working on the ground, the pressure points and the difference they are making to peoples’ lives. We heard from both the Methodist Mission and First Housing in relation to the vital work they are doing to support people in need in Derry/Londonderry.

“We will be able to use the learning from these projects when it comes to the Committee advising, scrutinising and supporting changes proposed by the Minister and the Department.

“Committee is keen to keep focus and attention on homelessness following Homelessness Awareness Week last week (2 – 8 Dec) and in the lead up to Christmas, which can also be an especially difficult time for many.  Homelessness is a year-round problem affecting many people, with numbers affected and the complexity of needs continuing to grow year on year.

It’s vital that Committee Members hear directly from those providing these essential services and understand the differences these organisations are making in the daily lives of people in need of support.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

The Committee heard from North West Methodist Mission about their work in this area - https://nwmm.co.uk/about/

The second briefing was from First Housing Aid and Support Services - https://www.first-housing.com/node/4