CONCERNS have been raised that almost a third of homeless households in Northern Ireland have children aged under 18 living in them.
A new report on homelessness shows that the "basic minimum" is not being met to support young people and their families in the north.
Produced by Queen’s University, Belfast on behalf of the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY), the report - A Place To Call Home - reveals a rising number of children living in homeless households.
Researchers said while most children do live in adequate housing, the report says there is "a long way to go to achieve this for all children and young people".
The report states that data from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) reveals that almost a third of homeless households have children aged under 18 living in them.
From January to June 2022, households and families accepted as homeless in the north included 3,495 children.
In July 2022, 3,913 children aged under 18 were living in temporary accommodation - an increase from 2,433 in January 2019.
NI Children’s Commissioner, Koulla Yiasouma, said: "Housing and homelessness were not initially one of my priorities for NICCY during my first years as commissioner, but when visiting schools, particularly primary schools’, children talked about their concern for homeless people.
"They could see them in towns and cities across Northern Ireland and they were very worried about children in such situations.
"So, it was children who insisted that we interrogate this issue further and this report and the scoping study that preceded it demonstrates how right they were."
The report has made several recommendations, including that the NIHE must ensure temporary accommodation provided to families is of adequate standard to enable the realisation of children’s rights, including rights to family life, privacy, education, health, play, leisure and social engagement.
It also suggests families must only be placed in temporary accommodation for the shortest time possible.
The report also states that improved data on the scale and nature of hidden homelessness among young people is needed to inform planning of support and services.
Ms Yiasouma added that the "right to family life and an adequate standard of living is the basic minimum a child should expect from that state".
"Children cannot learn at school and will have poor health and well-being outcomes if they do not even have the basic minimum of a decent place to live," she said.
"This report demonstrates that in NI we still have a long way to go to achieve this."
