Homeless People Get Support From Assembly Committee

“The Committee has spent a lot of time reviewing and considering legislation to ensure it protects the homeless. Visits like this are an important part of our work. They allow us to see and hear what it is like to live without life’s essentials, like a roof over our heads. Importantly, we also get the chance to see the practical support that bodies such as the Welcome Organisation offer. This helps the Committee review homelessness policies and ensure they provide real improvements for the thousands of people who find themselves homeless every year. I have to say that what struck me most during the visit was the number of very young people who are living on the streets of Belfast. Many of us probably believe that Northern Ireland doesn’t have a homelessness problem but it is precisely because of the excellent work of the likes of the Welcome Organisation that it isn’t the sort of visible issue that it is in cities like London.  But just because you can’t always see the problem it doesn’t mean that it isn’t there.  I am truly impressed by not just the essential services that the Welcome Organisation provide homeless people but how they do it in such small accommodation and not only offer a helping hand through food and shelter but also a hand up through personal development programmes. It is essential that government acts in a joined-up way to deal with the many causes and consequences of homelessness. The Committee believes that the Homelessness Strategy, which is to be produced by the Housing Executive, should support the work of bodies like the Welcome Organisation”.]]>