Statistics Show a Big Increase in Homelessness

The latest Northern Ireland Housing Bulletin shows that there has been a significant increase of 15% in the number of households experiencing homelessness.

One of the headline statistics of the Bulletin, which covers the period of 1 January 2013 to 31 March 2013, is the 15% (652) increase in the number of households presenting as homeless to the Housing Executive, compared to the previous quarter.

However, despite the increase in the overall number of presenters, there was an actual decrease in the number being awarded the full duty homelessness status by the Housing Executive, (a 9% decrease on the previous quarter).

Other interesting data from the NI Housing Bulletin includes:

• The most common reason for presenting as homeless is sharing/family dispute
• The biggest group of presenters were single males who made up 6,968 or 35% of the total presenters, with most coming from the 26 to 59 age group.

The Bulletin also contains information on the number of new dwellings started and completed and the Residential Property Price Index. The Bulletin can be viewed on the DSD website.