Member's statement: Homelessness
Member's statement by Mrs Ciara Ferguson on .
- MLA
- Mrs Ciara Ferguson
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 18 June 2024
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Homelessness
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4496880
Read the official Assembly record
Text
The human cost of homelessness cannot be overstated. As an Assembly and an Executive, we need to get to grips with the level of housing need that exists across our society and constituencies. I speak again today, first and foremost, to thank the Simon Community for sharing its recent research, which suggests that we could have in the region of 80,000 people experiencing homelessness. The significant suggested number — people who are invisible and unaccounted for in official statistics — points to the reality of hidden homelessness, which might include staying with a relative, living in a car or sofa-surfing in the homes of friends or colleagues. Living in temporary or non-standard forms of accommodation is unsettling for so many reasons, not least the impact that it has on people's mental health, resilience and well-being. It disrupts any stability or certainty in people's lives and impacts on their access to opportunities, whether in employment or education; and it can have devastating outcomes if the root causes of homelessness are not adequately addressed. We know the effect that it can have on physical health conditions and the mobility of some individuals. No person who is living with disabilities, for example, should find themselves feeling constrained and helpless because they do not have a stable home in which to access essential equipment, support and necessary adaptations. With a spend of £34·5 million in 2023-24 on temporary accommodation, and rising, it is not acceptable for the Department for Communities to suggest a social housing programme that will deliver 400 — 400 — new homes in 2024-25. With 47,312 households on the waiting list at the end of March 2024, it will, effectively, address the needs of 0·85% of those households. We must, collectively, as an Executive and an Assembly, have the vision to deliver more social and affordable housing than ever before. We must then support success in that area by applying political will and vital resources. We must secure multi-annual Budgets and strategically plan across all Departments for the longer term for housing delivery and homelessness prevention efforts, particularly with respect to Budget discussions. I call on the Minister for Communities to begin that process by publishing the housing supply strategy and urgently reconsidering the proposed departmental allocations that are allowing for a fall of 73·4% in our social home starts in the incoming year.
393 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.97).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.03 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.97 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.99 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 10:37 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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