CRISPP Co-chairs welcome news of additional funding for Supporting People Programme

On Wednesday 5 June, the Minister for Communities announced that the Supporting People Programme will receive an additional £4.8 million in 2024/5 in addition to the baseline figure provided in 2023/4.

Nicola McCrudden, CEO of Homeless Connect, and Seamus Leheny, CEO of the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations (NIFHA) said:

“We welcome the announcement made by the Minister for Communities that he intends to protect the Supporting People Programme through provision of an additional £4.8 million in this financial year. The Minister has rightly recognised that what he has described as a “fantastic” and “invaluable” programme needs investment if it is to continue to help people who need housing support to live independently.

 

With that said, we know that even with this proposed increase, the value of the programme has not kept up with the pace of inflation. This announcement does not make up for many years of budgetary freezes. Even with this news, many providers will continue to struggle to make the sums add up. CRISPP will continue to call for the Executive to prioritise investing in the Supporting People programme through provision of at least inflationary increases in the years to come.”

What is CRISPP?

Nicola McCrudden and Seamus Leheny serve as Co-Chairs of the Committee Representing Independent Supporting People Providers (CRISPP). CRISPP is the strategic group for representatives of providers funded by Supporting People. The group seeks to represent the sector and lobby politicians and Supporting People on their behalf. It is comprised of representatives from the voluntary sector, Housing Associations, and private organisations. The group is jointly chaired by Homeless Connect and NI Federation of Housing Associations, and membership is representative of the sector.