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First Housing to fight cuts to ‘vital service’

Staff, residents, politicians and community activists pictured at a Coffee Morning at the Derry First Housing premises in Clarendon Street recently. Included centre is Adrian Keogh, manager, Derry First Housing. DER5013JM031
Staff, residents, politicians and community activists pictured at a Coffee Morning at the Derry First Housing premises in Clarendon Street recently. Included centre is Adrian Keogh, manager, Derry First Housing. DER5013JM031

A Derry based charity that works with people who are homeless is supporting a campaign to protect funding for vital services in the North.

First Housing, which is based in Bishop Street, signalled its desire to support a six county wide campaign to make sure funding for services for people who are homeless in the North is protected.

“Supporting People funds a range of housing related support services for vulnerable people to improve their quality of life and attain independence,” said Chief Executive of First Housing, Kevin Wright.

“These services can be provided in their own homes or in temporary accommodation settings, sheltered housing or other specialised supported housing.”

The Supporting People programme, which provides some 882 housing related support services across the North, equips vulnerable people to live independently and helps prevent problems that can result in hospitalisation, institutional care or homelessness.

Research has demonstrated that it is an ‘invest to save’ programme delivering net financial benefits by reducing demand on health, criminal justice and other public services.

In Derry the Supporting People programme provides 68 housing related support projects, with First Housing delivering four specialist supported housing projects and four floating support/outreach services.

However, funding for Supporting People schemes has been frozen for seven years and has had to endure ‘real terms’ cut of over 20 per cent.

The Supporting People programme is also currently subject to a government review, and First Housing in conjunction with other providers are concerned about the potential impact of North Ireland Executive spending cuts on the programme.

Without strong measures in place to protect services, there is a distinct danger that those in most need may lose out, despite empirical evidence of its impact.

“We are calling on the Executive to strengthen the Supporting People programme, that annually provides vital support to help more than 26,000 people across the North to live as independently as possible,” said a First Housing spokesperson.