Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has announced plans for a fundamental overhaul of Northern Ireland's homelessness system, with prevention placed at the centre of policy. Speaking at a Housing Rights event at Parliament Buildings, he outlined a shift from crisis response to earlier, targeted support.

The Minister said he will shortly seek Executive approval to establish a Homelessness Commission for Northern Ireland. The commission will guide the move to prevention and early intervention, and will include independent expert panels to review the homelessness legislative framework and operational changes needed. It will also draw on the experiences of people who have lived through homelessness.

Lyons said the reform aims to make homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring. He highlighted a number of funding measures to support 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.

The new commission will help drive reform by harnessing sector expertise and working on a cross-government basis. Lyons said he is determined to deliver a lasting shift in how homelessness and rough sleeping are addressed, moving away from reacting to crisis and towards preventing it from happening in the first place.