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Northern Ireland Housing Executive faces calls to reinstate funding for critical housing support service

The Supporting People programme is credited with tackling homelessness
The Supporting People programme is credited with tackling homelessness The Supporting People programme is credited with tackling homelessness

HOUSING chiefs are facing calls to re-instate funding for a scheme which is credited with preventing homelessness and saving lives.

The Supporting People programme, which is delivered by the charitable and voluntary sector, assists more than 20,000 people in Northern Ireland to live independently and avoid problems that can result in institutional care or homelessness.

However, it is feared the service is at risk due to funding cuts by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE).

Ricky Rowledge, Director of Council for Homeless Northern Ireland (CHNI), said short term saving would have a "profound and expensive long-term legacy".

"Services cannot be sustained at the standard required and there is a very real danger that those in most need will not receive adequate support or may lose out entirely," he said.

"We are calling for NIHE to re-instate the funding immediately and work in partnership with delivery agents to agree a sensible reform and strategy."

A Housing Executive spokesman said, while the baseline Supporting People budget had been protected, "there are a number of inescapable new financial commitments which need to be met".

"This necessitated a review of the funding previously provided for a number of schemes and regrettably we have had to advise providers of a reduction to some budgets in the order of fie per cent."

He said the NIHE had "provided an opportunity for organisations affected by this situation to meet with us to discuss any potential impact on services and what mitigations can be put in place".

"We will continue to work with providers to attempt to mitigate the impact of these funding reductions".