This morning the Department for Communities released the latest edition of its Housing Bulletin for July to September 2025. Yet again, the statistics record another rise in the number of households on the Social Housing Waiting List with homelessness status. On 30 September 2025, there were 49,588 households on the social housing waiting list with 32,607 of those households having homelessness status.
Over the last decade, the number of households on the social housing waiting list has increased by 29% from 38,566 in September 2015 to 49,588 in September 2025. Over the same period, the number of households with homelessness status has grown from 14,372 households to 32,607. This is an increase of 18,235 households (127%) over the last decade.
In September 2024, 30,658 households had homelessness status. The number of households with this status has increased by 1,949 households, an increase of 6%, over the last year. In each of the last ten years, the number of households with homelessness status has consistently increased year on year.
Belfast City Council has the highest number of households with homelessness status at 10,406. Over the last decade, the number of households in Belfast with homelessness status has more than doubled from 4,606 households in September 2015 (an increase of 126%) to 10,406 in September 2025.
This is followed by Derry and Strabane Council area with 2,211 households having homelessness status in September 2015 rising to 4,536 in September 2025 (a 105% increase) over the last decade) and then Newry, Mourne and Down with 1,322 households in March 2015 rising to 2,779 in September 2025 (up 110% over the last decade).
10 of Northern Ireland’s eleven councils recorded an increase in the number of households with homelessness status compared to September 2024. The biggest increase was recorded in Belfast, with an additional 953 households with homelessness status in the council area joining the list. A small decrease of 10 households was recorded in Newry, Mourne and Down Council Area.
When it comes to homelessness presentations, the number of presentations remains similar in July to September 2025 to what was recorded in July to September 2024. In this quarter in 2025, 4,110 presentations were recorded compared to 4,054 in the same period in 2024, an increase of 56 presentations. However, the number of homelessness acceptances notably fell when comparing July to September 2025 to July to September 2024. In this quarter in 2025, 2,462 acceptances were recorded compared to 2,796 in 2024. This is a fall of 334 acceptances (12%)
This afternoon, Homeless Connect, accompanied by our member organisations the Simon Community and Depaul, will be briefing the Public Accounts Committee on our response to the NI Audit Office Report on Homelessness. This report highlights several of the challenges facing the homelessness system here reflected in the statistics released today.
Commenting on these figures Nicola McCrudden, Chief Executive of Homeless Connect said:
“As we come up to Christmas, tens of thousands of households living here are facing the stark reality of homelessness. The enormous impact homelessness has on the lives of the people who are impacted and on wider society has to be reckoned with. These numbers are our family, friends and neighbours.
The theme of Homelessness Awareness Week 2025, starting on Monday December 1, is ‘See the Person’. Behind these statistics are real people who have dreams and aspirations for their lives. Every single one of them matters. They all have a right to a place to call home. As a society, we must do everything we can to ensure that the right to housing can be met.
We know that things would be much worse if it was not for the sterling work of the homelessness sector in this society. Day in, day out, often behind the scenes, staff in the sector right across the breadth of this society are providing person-centred support preventing and alleviating homelessness.
It is not inevitable that these numbers will continue to rise indefinitely. There are positive initiatives being taken forward by the sector and our statutory partners which have and will make a positive difference. The reintroduction of the homelessness prevention fund which is supporting over forty projects is one example. However, we need political leadership from across the NI Executive which recognises the scale of the challenge we are facing.
This afternoon when we brief the Public Accounts Committee, we will look to highlight the changes we believe we need to see when it comes to governance in the homelessness system, housing supply and temporary accommodation. We will reiterate the critical importance of making the strategic shift to prevention. The NI Audit Office report raises significant issues which we believe MLAs and Executive Departments need to listen to if we are going to see real and meaningful change to help us take the journey to preventing and reducing homelessness here.
The budget released yesterday brought some highly welcome news in the form of the ending of the two-child limit. This will undoubtedly help many families living in this society and help to prevent households going over the edge into homelessness. This is a positive and progressive step. However, we are deeply disappointed at the apparent decision to once again freeze the Local Housing Allowance. This will have a detrimental impact on renters living here and will the gap between the allowance and rents continue to grow.
The NI Executive will shortly be bringing forward its first multi-year budget for over a decade. It is vitally important that the Executive prioritises funding for social and genuinely affordable housing, homelessness prevention and ensuring that the homelessness sector is properly funded. This will be a key moment when we will see if the rhetoric of Executive minsters on the importance of responding to homelessness will feed through into reality.”
