Housing

OVERVIEW

There are 124 organisations in the voluntary and community which are involved the volunteer development sector. Total income for 2003/04 is estimated to be £37.58 million.

One third of all organisations in the housing and homelessness sector have an annual income of over £250,000.

There are approximately 2,264 paid employees working in the volunteer development sector with a further 920 volunteers directly involved on a formal basis (management committees etc).

ROLE

Organisations in the housing and homelessness sector provide a wide range of services from advice and information about housing issues to the provision of accommodation. This sector also provides services to homeless people and highlights the reality of homelessness in political and public arenas.

According to a House of Commons report, homelessness in Northern Ireland has increased by 50% between 1999 and 2003, the most rapid rise in homelessness in the UK during this period.

FUNDING

Just under half (49.7%) of all the funding that is accessed by organisations in the housing and homelessness sector comes from government. Non departmental agencies and statutory bodies are the single largest funder, spending £8.48 million (45.3% of all government funding) in 2003/04. Income through the delivery of services is also significant, accounting for 29.3% of all government expenditure in this sector.

The public contributes £11.94 million towards the activities of this sector which represents 30% of total income.

Although not included in the analysis for this sub sector, housing associations are a major provider of social housing in Northern Ireland. Government spends approximately £70 million per year on the activities of housing associations. A more detailed analysis of the size and scope of the housing association sector will follow shortly.

PEOPLE

The housing and homelessness sector employs 2,264 individuals.

The number of part time employees is proportionally lower than the sector overall. Approximately 25% of employees in the housing and homeless sector are part time whereas the figure for the sector overall is 36%.

There are 920 volunteers involved in the housing and homelessness sector.

ORDER

Pirce: State of the Sector IV costs £10 (plus 85p p&p). To order a copy, contact Lynn Anderson 028 9087 7777

COMMENTS

Please give your opinion on this research by using the Have your Say box at the end of this article, or contact:

Gordon McCullough
028 9087 7777