Speaking at a conference in Cookstown, the Minister acknowledged the crucial role played by the advice organisations involved in ensuring people in need receive the right housing advice at the right time. The project is run by Housing Rights Service, Citizens Advice and Advice NI. It provides support to advice organisations to ensure they have the knowledge and skills to give appropriate, quality guidance services on housing rights to those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
The Minister said: “Last year, advice organisations in Northern Ireland received almost 44,000 housing enquiries. Of these, two out of three were dealt with by Community Housing Advice Project partner agencies. There is real human distress behind these statistics. The partnership CHAP has set up across Northern Ireland is helping people get the advice they require and is playing an essential role in preventing vulnerable people from becoming marginalised. This is a central aspect of the homelessness strategy I launched during the summer and complements my determination to place housing issues at the top of my agenda.”
The project is co-funded by DSD and the NI Housing Executive. It recently won a Northern Ireland Regional Training Award in acknowledgement of its success in promoting training and development for advice staff.
Peter McMahon, CHAP Project Manager, commented: “Having access to quality housing advice locally can make a big difference to those faced with housing problems. Homelessness and affordability are growing concerns. The Community Housing Advice Project, through partnership working, ensures that quality advice and information is always available and a network of relevant support is accessible.”
Notes to Editors:
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