Irish Travellers in Northern Ireland face a risk to their nomadic way of life due to a shortage of suitable sites and pitches, a support group has stated. The Craigavon Travellers Support Committee said the number of sites and pitches has fallen sharply over the past two decades, with remaining provisions often below acceptable standards.

The Northern Ireland Housing Executive, which is responsible for traveller accommodation, is currently consulting on a draft strategy for the next five years. The Housing Executive said it is investing in and future-proofing the traveller way of life.

The support committee also criticised Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly for contacting police over roadside travellers in the summer, saying she should have helped find suitable accommodation instead. In August, Little-Pengelly posted a video saying she had contacted police and Translink about travellers parked at Sprucefield Centre near Lisburn, asserting that overnight camping there was not legal.

A traveller at a site in Craigavon said they feel pressured to move into a house, adding that no one cares about their community. Another committee member, Lisa Hogg, described families using shower units with sewage coming up from under the tray. She said poor provisions have caused homelessness and displacement, and that travellers pay rent and rates like other social housing tenants.

The Housing Executive said three sites in Londonderry, Strabane and Belfast have closed in the last decade due to health and safety concerns, site viability and land acquisition for infrastructure projects such as the A5. The draft Irish Traveller Accommodation Strategy 2026-2031 aims to improve the provision and standard of sites.

The Equality Commission, in a response to the consultation, said only four Housing Executive sites were operational at the time of writing, down from seven in 2018 and 16 in 2009. It called for stronger commitments, clear targets and resource allocations.

Professor Michelle Norris from University College Dublin said accommodation is central to Irish Travellers' identity as an ethnic group. She noted that demand for traveller-specific accommodation is falling in the Republic of Ireland, with about 95% of travellers there expressing a wish for standard housing, but said those who want specific accommodation should be facilitated.