Last year it was announced plans to allow the Housing Executive to purchase 600 homes for use as temporary accommodation for those who are homeless by 2028
More than a year on since Communities Minister Gordon Lyons announced plans to allow the Housing Executive to purchase 600 homes to be used as temporary accommodation by 2028, officials have yet to approve the delivery of the scheme.
In March 2026, Gordon Lyons approved the initiative, which aims to reduce the cost of providing temporary housing to those who are homeless and in priority need by up to £75m over the next seven years.
Responding to a written question at Stormont from People Before Profit MLA, Gerry Carroll, the Communities Minister confirmed that they have yet to commence purchasing properties for the scheme.
“No properties have been purchased for use as Temporary Accommodation to date,” the minister said.
“Officials are finalising an approval condition required to support delivery of the scheme, which, once agreed, will enable the Housing Executive to commence the scheme.
Commenting on the minister’s answer, Gerry Carroll said: “Well over a year after this scheme was announced with great fanfare, not a single home has been bought. That is a damning indictment of a Department that talks about a housing emergency but refuses to act as such.
“Children are growing up in hotel rooms and hostels with no certainty about where they’ll be next week, never mind next year. Meanwhile, the bill for temporary accommodation keeps climbing. Public money is going straight into the pockets of private landlords and companies who are making a killing out of homelessness.
“There is no excuse for this inaction. These homes should be purchased now, and they should be brought into permanent public ownership as social housing, not used as another temporary sticking plaster.”
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