Turning the Tide of Homelessness on the North Coast
Homelessness is an issue that is not going away in our community. Despite increased investment from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE), the gap between housing demand and supply continues to widen.
In 2022/23 it was reported by the NIHE that across the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough, 758 people who presented as homeless were accepted for support. That is over 700 people in our borough alone, without a permanent place to stay.
At Vineyard Compassion we are committed to helping local people facing the stress of homelessness. We are proud to partner with our local council and other agencies like the NIHE to offer homelessness advice, emotional support and emergency housing (tenancy security). We want everyone in our borough to have a place to call home.
Having a home is incredibly important. It’s not just somewhere to go to bed at night; it’s somewhere to feel safe and secure and it’s your own personal space. We often hear that people who are sofa surfing out of necessity, are very grateful to friends and family for putting them up, but they feel like a nuisance and long for their own space.
Chief Executive at Vineyard Compassion, Ricky Wright explains, “We cannot underestimate how important it is for people to have a key to their own door. Having a key to your own home is central to building self confidence. I remember one story of a couple moving into our emergency housing and the gentleman cried when we handed him the key. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a key to his own home.”
Last year Vineyard Compassion was pleased to partner with NIHE as they created Stories by the Stones, a series of stories from people with experience of homelessness and those who are working alongside them with the vision of Turning the Tide on Homelessness.
Why not take a few minutes to listen to the story of one of the people that we have helped on their journey. Linda Joyce bravely shares her story and we are thrilled that Linda is now settled in her own home and able to encourage others facing homelessness to seek help and support here with us. She says, “I couldn’t have got through it without Vineyard Compassion!”