Lord Mayor praises vital work of staff working to support vulnerable people in Belfast

The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Micky Murray, has marked the start of Homelessness Awareness Week with a special breakfast event in City Hall to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of all those working to support vulnerable people in Belfast.

The ’Time for Change: Responding to Homelessness’ event, organised with Homeless Connect, brought together frontline staff to recognise their efforts to assist those experiencing homelessness.

Among the staff attending were support workers from DePaul, Drug Outreach Team, Extern, Simon Community, and The Welcome Organisation, along with representatives from statutory services.

Guests heard the lived experiences of women experiencing homelessness through a powerful Art piece testimony from the Women’s Advocacy project, led by the Westcourt Centre and Ulster University’s School of Photography.

The event also provided an opportunity to discuss the progress that has been made through the Complex Lives initiative to address the challenges of those experiencing chronic homelessness.

Complex Lives is a joint approach between multiple agencies across the statutory, voluntary and community sectors to support some of the city’s most vulnerable people, with the aim of breaking the cycle of chronic homelessness.

Facilitated by Belfast City Council, the multi-disciplinary team includes staff from Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Police Service of Northern Ireland, Probation Board Northern Ireland, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Welcome Organisation, Depaul, Extern and Simon Community, with additional support from Northern Ireland Prison Service, Public Health Agency, Belfast PCSP (Policing and Community Partnership) and Homeless Connect.

Since October 2021, the initiative has supported over 150 individuals, targeting their unique needs and providing stability and a dedicated point of contact to support individuals throughout their journey, whatever their circumstances.

Speaking at the event, the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Micky Murray, said: “The number of people with homelessness status in Belfast has more than doubled over the last decade, which is a truly shocking statistic.

“But the solution isn’t as simple as just providing more housing – the reasons why people become homeless are much more complex than that, so the response needs to be multi-faceted too, supporting people in many different, and varied, ways to get back on their feet and stay on track, knowing that they have the individual support they require.

“The Complex Lives project is doing just that – offering dedicated, individual support which is tailored to the person, guiding and supporting them with everything they need, not just housing, but help with addiction, education, mental health and lots more.

“It’s a fantastic initiative and, having worked in the homeless sector myself, I have first-hand experience of the challenges faced by those living without a home of their own and know the difference a tailored approach like this can make.

“Today has been an opportunity to acknowledge the great work that is being done, day in, day out, to support those who need help. I believe the progress that has been made in recent years will continue to grow, with the support of all partners around the table today. On behalf of our council, I thank all those in the sector for the work they do.”

Maria Jennings CBE, Chairperson of Homeless Connect, said “We are honoured to have had the support of the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Micky Murray, today as we begin Homelessness Awareness Week with a breakfast event at the City Hall.

“The recent homelessness statistics have revealed the devastating impact homelessness is having on our society and the urgent need for change. The annual Homelessness Awareness Week, which this year is themed ‘Time for Change’, is a grassroots effort involving organisations—many of them charities—that independently plan and host events to draw attention to homelessness across the country.

“This year’s campaign which has also drawn the support of The Community Foundation Northern Ireland, is focused on the rapidly rising number of individuals in Northern Ireland who are experiencing homelessness, aiming to raise awareness about its root causes and inspire collective action to tackle the issue.”

Kerry Rogan, Lead Project Officer for Complex Lives with Northern Ireland Housing Executive, said: “Homelessness Awareness Week gives all of us engaged in protecting and supporting those experiencing homelessness an opportunity to reflect on the work of the past year and look ahead to meet the challenges facing us in the year to come.

“Complex Lives is one of the most important strands of our strategic approach to tackling and preventing chronic homelessness. We remain convinced the ‘whole system’ approach is the best way to tackle chronic homelessness and we pay tribute to our partner organisations who engage so positively in the Complex Lives initiative.

“In 2025, we will continue to ensure that the most vulnerable customers, those in need of the most support, those who find it difficult to access services, receive the level and standard of support they deserve and that they continue to be prioritised by our organisations and our partners to break the cycle of homelessness.”