Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has pledged a fundamental reset of how homelessness is tackled in Northern Ireland, putting prevention at the centre of policy and improving outcomes for people at risk. Speaking at a Housing Rights event at Parliament Buildings, he set out plans to move from crisis response to earlier, targeted support.

As part of the reforms, the Minister will shortly seek Executive approval to establish a Homelessness Commission for Northern Ireland to steer the shift to prevention and early intervention, and to underpin lasting change across services and laws.

Minister Lyons said: "I am committed to bringing about a comprehensive and meaningful system change so that, working together, we can make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring.

"I intend to shortly bring forward to the Executive plans for the establishment of a Homelessness Commission for Northern Ireland. "Independent, expert panels will carry out comprehensive reviews of our homelessness legislative framework and the operational and institutional changes required to transform how we prevent and respond to homelessness. The commission will also draw on the experiences of those who have lived through homelessness, with a firm focus on prevention and early intervention."

He said the new commission would help drive meaningful reform and prevent homelessness wherever possible by harnessing sector expertise and lived experience.

Minister Lyons added: "I am determined to deliver a lasting shift in how we address homelessness and rough sleeping, moving away from reacting to crisis and towards preventing it from happening in the first place.

"By harnessing expertise from across the sector, and working on a cross-government basis, we can help shape a system that delivers earlier support, better outcomes and greater stability when people are at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness."

The Minister highlighted recent investments to underpin the agenda: £2.5 million ringfenced for Strategic Homelessness Prevention in 2025/26, with a commitment to further ringfenced funding in 2026/27; more than £9 million for the New Foundations Project to reduce the risk of care-leavers becoming homeless; £10 million for the Loan to Acquire Move-on Accommodation scheme to help organisations purchase homes for people in hostels; and an uplift to the Supporting People programme from £72.8 million a year to around £84 million in 2025/26 to sustain homelessness services.