Rising rents, stagnating wages, and mounting pressure on housing benefit are all contributing to the crisis.
Homelessness in Northern Ireland has more than doubled in the past ten years, according to the latest Housing Bulletin published by the devolved government.
In 2015, 13,644 households were registered as homeless, either living on the streets or in temporary accommodation while waiting for permanent housing. By March 2025, that number had surged to 31,719, marking a 132% increase over the decade.
The crisis has accelerated in recent months. In the year ending March 2025, ten of Northern Ireland’s eleven council areas reported an increase in the number of households granted homelessness status. Over that 12-month period alone, 2,325 households became homeless, an 8% year-on-year rise.
Belfast City Council recorded the highest number of homeless households, with 9,975 cases in March 2025, more than double the 4,557 recorded in 2015. Derry and Strabane followed with 4,437, a 121% increase, while Newry, Mourne and Down reported 2,803 households experiencing homelessness, up 112%.
The report also shows that the overall number of households on the social housing waiting list has grown significantly. As of March 31, 49,083 households were waiting for a home, a 25% increase from 39,338 in 2015. Of those, 31,719 were also listed as homeless.
Rising rents, stagnating wages, and mounting pressure on housing benefit are all contributing to the crisis.
Nicola McCrudden, chief executive of Homeless Connect, said the situation reflects a systemic failure to provide access to affordable housing.
“Across every council area, too many families and individuals are finding themselves locked out of access to social and genuinely affordable housing,” she warned.
“People have no other option but to enter the homelessness system with all the consequences this can have for them and their families.”
McCrudden pointed to a chronic shortage of social housing as the root cause.
“It is a simple fact that we need a sufficient supply of housing to prevent homelessness. Without these social homes, this trend will only continue to worsen with the social, economic and relational consequences this has for those impacted.”
She is calling on Northern Ireland’s Executive to act decisively, stating:
“We urge the Executive to use every lever available to them to find the resources needed to deliver on the social housing we need to see.”
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