NI Homeless Numbers Rising

While there's good news today with a shelter for homeless people being opened in Londonderry, reports on overall homelessness in Northern Ireland is less positive.

As the festive season approaches, voluntary agencies have said there has been a sharp rise in the number of foreign nationals seeking emergency accommodation.

An increasing number of migrant workers are finding themselves homeless with many depending on the charity of groups like the Salvation Army's night shelter for emergency accommodation.

The exact number of homeless foreign nationals on Northern Ireland streets is not known.

But charities and other voluntary agencies providing emergency housing said the increase was "substantial".

However, in the North West there's some relief with the 14-bed 'Get Your Head Down' shelter on Derry's Carlisle Road now open - being funded until March by Derry City Council, the police and other agencies.

A spokesman for the NI Housing Executive, said he hoped there would be more money from a range of agencies so as to continue to provide such services to homeless people in the city, as with the economic crisis and job cuts across many sectors, the situation "is likely to get worse".

Meanwhile, NI Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie confirmed this week that the number of people deemed homeless on the NI Housing Executive's waiting list is more than 9,500.

(BMcC)