The Housing Executive measure of 'residual need' reflects the shortfall in social housing in any given area. A closer look at the shift in these figures since 2015 in Belfast shows deep and ongoing shortages of social housing, particularly in areas of high demand. It also reveals a growing shortfall in social homes in more unexpected areas. So what's next?

The balance is shifting in the right direction -- but still, in 2021/22 nearly twice as much public money was put into the pockets of private landlords as was spent on new public housing, Housing Executive data reveals.

The number of homeless households across Belfast is up 10% on last year's total, to 7,545. The rise in the number of homeless children is stark: in West Belfast, there are now 49% more homeless children than in 2019, and in North Belfast -- even more disturbingly -- there are 91% more homeless children now than in 2019. Where will this end?

Housing Executive figures indicate that social housing need in NI continues to rise and become increasingly more acute, with nearly one fifth more households on the waiting list and one third more FDA homeless households in March 2022 than in 2018.

The percentage of NI asylum seekers accommodated in temporary hotel rooms rose dramatically from 2% in June to 56% between June-December 2021. Public authorities have been silent on the matter.

In an unequal housing system dominated by the private market, defined by peace walls and influenced by violence, why are vulnerable refugees being placed in deprived areas with the highest social housing demand? We use the Freedom of Information Act to dig deeper.

In this investigation we use Freedom of Information requests to take a closer look at the Minister for Communities' announcement of a £37million housing regeneration project for the New Lodge. FOI requests have also been used in an effort to track responses to fire safety recommendations at the tower blocks.

In North Belfast, as in West Belfast, acute housing need is concentrated in predominately Catholic areas, and is rising.

A review of figures from the eve of the Covid-19 pandemic to end March 2021 shows that child housing need is rising in West Belfast, and is increasingly concentrated in predominately Catholic areas

As of end March, nearly 44,000 households were waiting for a home. Of the at least 24,717 children under 18 in those households, a minimum of 13,906 are growing up officially homeless.