The NI Assembly issued a Call for Evidence on a housing bill sponsored by Sinn Féin’s Colm Gildernew, to: 

“amend the definition of “threatened with homelessness” as set out in Article 3 of the [Housing (NI)] Order so that it includes those people who are likely to become homeless within at least 60 days (rather than the current 28 days) from when they give written notice to the NIHE. The Bill Sponsor believes that the current 28-day period is not long enough, as quite often people will experience a housing related emergency, such as being evicted, where they will have longer than 28 days to vacate the premises.” (para. 23)

PPR welcomes the recognition implicit in the bill that a more robust and preventative response to homelessness is needed. It agrees with the drafters of the bill’s Memorandum that factors like social home sales under ‘Right to Buy’ alongside the failure to build sufficient numbers of new social homes have fuelled the social housing shortage and resulting reliance on expensive emergency and temporary accommodation.

However, in the absence of mechanisms to oversee and enforce the provisions of housing law, PPR questions the utility of extending the 28-day ‘threatened with homelessness’ period to 60 days.

PPR’s contribution to the bill’s Call for Evidence focuses on three areas: the failure of the Housing Executive to respect the current 28-day ‘threatened with homelessness’ period; the lack of movement to date on the purchase of the 600 homes for temporary accommodation (identified by the Bill Sponsor as the means of meeting any extra demand created by the Bill); and an overview of additional elements such as those around Full Duty Applicant determinations that, if included in the Housing (Amendment) Bill, would further strengthen implementation of homelessness-related duties.

PPR has been raising the Housing Executive’s failure to respect the 28 days since 2024, most recently in an August 2026 post; both people born in NI and newly recognised refugees have regularly told us how, despite seeking help in advance, they are advised simply to turn up at Housing Executive offices, with their families and belongings, once they have been physically evicted, and wait for staff to arrange something for them. PPR’s primary recommendation is that meaningful oversight and enforcement mechanisms be urgently included in the Bill to ensure that its provisions are respected in practice once it becomes law; otherwise, the 60 days ‘threatened with homelessness’ period will be ignored just as the current 28-day one frequently is. 

…in May 2026 the Housing Executive told PPR by Freedom of Information that that none of the 600 planned homes had been bought to date, as it was still awaiting the go-ahead from the DFC. Monitoring and oversight would not go amiss here either.

The Memorandum indicates that its drafters count on fulfilment of the March 2025 DFC proposal that the Housing Executive purchase up to 600 homes as temporary accommodation units to reduce its reliance on expensive B&B and hotel accommodation in order to meet any extra demand created by the Bill. However in May 2026 the Housing Executive told PPR by Freedom of Information that that none of the 600 planned homes had been bought to date, as it was still awaiting the go-ahead from the DFC. Monitoring and oversight would not go amiss here either.

While PPR welcomes the effort to make housing law more impactful and effective, NI’s housing system needs more than a change of timescales to adequately respond to today’s unprecedented level of homelessness. Working mechanisms to oversee and enforce the provisions of housing law – including but not limited to its ‘threatened with homelessness’ period -- are required; and all political parties must agree adequate funding for new social housing to meet the existing objective need where it exists, regardless of background, community or party affiliation. 

PPR’s full submission to the Call for Evidence is here.