Written in 2021.

Temporary accommodation provides essential shelter to people who have no home of their own. The Housing Executive (NIHE) has a legal responsibility to provide temporary accommodation to certain people who are, or who appear to be homeless. The COVID-19 pandemic shone a light on the risks that a contagious respiratory disease posed to people who do not have a safe and secure home. The closure of the housing market during the first lockdown meant a huge reduction in throughput in temporary accommodation and greatly increased the pressures on service providers. While residents found they had nowhere to move on to during the pandemic, providers struggled with new social distancing and isolation requirements which greatly reduced their capacity and threatened their financial stability due to they way in which they were funded.

This resource will look at

• the different types of temporary accommodation
• the Housing Executive’s duties to accommodate people
• the rights of residents in temporary accommodation
• suitability of temporary accommodation
• problems in temporary accommodation
• the future of temporary accommodation in Northern Ireland