Verification of threats must be rigorous and properly scrutinised to prevent abuse of housing system

Figures from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) reported today show, in the 12 months to April, 286 people presented as homeless to the NIHE due to victimisation in a range of forms.

Paramilitary intimidation was the most prevalent, accounting for 142 people. This is down from the previous year’s figure of 236.

The drop in threats is to be welcomed but also shows that there is much still to do to eradicate intimidation from those who seek to control neighbourhoods in order to protect their criminal empires.

Since the beginning of the 2017/18 financial year, 1,392 people have presented as homeless because of paramilitary intimidation.

That senior paramilitary figures have been allowed to manipulate the housing system for so long is a serious indictment of our society, with some even making it on to boards and housing associations that control social housing stock.

This kind of control and power has helped secure their status as a protected species and keeps people too afraid to speak out for fear of repercussions. 

There is another, no less serious, issue with the current housing points system that also needs overhauled.

In 2021/22, 17 of the presentations were due to anti-social behaviour.

Fourteen were because of sectarian intimidation, while there were fewer than five due to sexual orientation and intimidation relating to race.

A simple look at any newspaper archive would indicate the number of racist attacks during that time is far higher than those figures suggest.

The number of families forced from their home due to racism is a wider societal problem, worse in some areas of Northern Ireland than others.

The issue appears to be with the verification of threats, done through a body which has contact with loyalist and republican restorative justice groups, who then confirm or deny the existence of a threat.

It is easy to see how this would leave people with only recent connections to Northern Ireland at a marked disadvantage.

Intimidation points can send a tenant to the front of the housing list ahead of families who have been waiting years in temporary accommodation.

Therefore, the verification of those threats must be rigorous and properly scrutinised to prevent abuse.

Cases of paramilitary groups sending fake threats to other friends and criminal associates in order to get first pick of new build homes is not uncommon. This only adds to the coercion with housing estates controlled by criminal elements.

Intimidation points are also not available to victims of domestic abuse, who have had to flee their home for their own safety.

Previous ministers have expressed a wish to change this, but, as of now, a mother who leaves with her children in order to save her family from a violent partner can find themselves in unsuitable temporary accommodation while others jump to the top of the queue.

This just emphasises the importance of a properly managed points system for allocating new homes and a joined-up approach to make sure that those in the most serious need are not bypassed in favour of those who have learned to manipulate the system.

All threats, regardless of the motivation, must be properly investigated. All families have the right to feel safe in their own home. Having to move home, often uprooting children from schools and friends — and, on occasions, separating vulnerable people from their support network — has a huge impact on people’s lives.

Private rentals are out of the budget of many families and can be precarious in the long term.

Housing allocation was at the heart of the civil rights movement and it is important that, over 50 years after the formation of the Housing Executive, it remains an issue of need first. That includes recognising those who are under genuine threat and making sure that their plight is not undermined by those who seek to manipulate the system.