Homeless Connect welcomes the Department for Communities’ acceptance of most of the Public Accounts Committee’s recommendations on homelessness in Northern Ireland. A number of these recommendations reflect evidence we provided to the Committee, both in writing and orally. The proposed action in relation to data, governance and homelessness prevention could make a real difference in how homelessness is addressed.

However, we are disappointed by the Department’s position on legislative reform. We support the Communities Committee’s recommendation for a comprehensive review of homelessness legislation in Northern Ireland, involving government, the homelessness sector and people with lived experience. Reviews in England, Scotland and Wales have helped shift the focus from response to prevention.

The proposal set out in the memorandum to produce a paper on a statutory duty to prevent homelessness by February 2027, with no clear commitment to legislate, does not go far enough. There is also no reference to any involvement of either the homelessness sector or people with lived experience of homelessness in the response set out to recommendation two.

We recognise that legislation alone is not a silver bullet. However, with the number of households with homelessness status continuing to rise, we must use every tool available to ensure that people at risk receive the right support at the right time. The approach outlined by the Department risks missing a vital opportunity to deliver the legislative reform needed to prevent and reduce homelessness.

We will be meeting members from the independent homelessness sector in the coming weeks to discuss the Department’s response to the Public Accounts Committee and the road ahead.

You can read the full memorandum of reply here: https://www.finance-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2026-04/mor-12th%20report-2227.pdf