To ask the Minister for Communities to detail how his Department engages with the Probation Board of Northern Ireland on housing need.

This issue is an operational matter for Northern Ireland Housing Executive; they have advised me as follows:

“The Supporting People (SP) Programme, which is administered by the Housing Executive on behalf of the Department for Communities provides grant funding towards the provision of housing support services to enable vulnerable people to live as independently as possible in the community. This includes short-term accommodation-based services for those in housing need, including the provision of Approved Premises.

The SP Programme provides grant funding to four Approved Premises for ‘Offenders or People at risk of Offending’ and to three services for ‘Single Homeless with Support Needs’ which have a number of approved beds. Referrals to these approved units are managed by the Probation Board for Northern Ireland (PBNI).

The Housing Executive engages with the PBNI through SP governance structures including the Homeless Regional Thematic Group and the SP Strategic Advisory Board, both of which PBNI is a member.

Operationally, the Housing Executive supports individuals with housing requirements on a case-by-case basis through the housing and homelessness assessment process. This support is provided directly to the individual household and is based on their specific circumstances.”