Palmerston, Belfast

General information

A coalition of charities and voluntary organisations, including Council for the Homeless NI, is calling on the Northern Ireland Executive to strengthen the Supporting People (SP) programme that annually provides vital support to help more than 26,000 people in Northern Ireland live as independently as possible.

SP funds a range of housing related support services for vulnerable people to improve their quality of life and attain independence. These services can be provided in their own homes or in temporary accommodation settings, sheltered housing or other specialised supported housing.

The SP programme, which provides some 882 housing related support services across NI, equips vulnerable people to live independently and helps prevent problems that can result in hospitalisation, institutional care or homelessness. Research has demonstrated that it is an ‘invest to save’ programme delivering net financial benefits by reducing demand on health, criminal justice and other public services.
However, funding for SP schemes has been frozen for seven years, a ‘real terms’ cut of over 20%. SP is also currently subject to a government review, and the coalition is concerned about the potential impact of NI Executive spending cuts on the programme. Without strong measures in place to protect services, there is a distinct danger that those in most need may lose out, despite empirical evidence of its impact.

This campaign seeks to secure the continued protection of vulnerable people by keeping SP as a properly funded, dedicated housing support programme.