Take Action | Act now to demand appropriate accomodation for a refugee family

Act now to demand appropriate accomodation for a refugee family

Mohaend and his family have been moved four times since getting refugee status. It's past time to find them a suitable home

Right to a Home

Mon Dec 02 2024

Mohaend, his wife and three children were evicted from their West Belfast home when they were granted refugee status in April this year.

Because of the chronic housing shortage, they have been moved by NIHE to four different temporary accommodation placements since then. Most recently the family say they were asked to leave their accommodation in Standing Stones Lodge for participating in a documentary about their experiences.

According to NIHE’s own figures for 2023/24, there are currently 11,368 placements in temporary accommodation across the north, costing £34.4million in that year alone. The reliance on non-standard accommodation like Standing Stones Lodge has increased drastically since 2020, around 151%. PPR often receives complaints about the quality and suitability of these temporary accommodations.

Riyad, Mohaend’s 10-year-old son, says all he wants is a home, so he has a place to do his homework.

Act now and ask the NIHE Chief Executive Grainia Long to provide suitable accommodation for this family.

Your name:

Your email address:

Your email:

Dear Grainia Long, Chief Executive of NIHE,

I am emailing you as a member of the Kind Economy Campaign, in support of a homeless family who NIHE have a statutory responsibility to find suitable accommodation for.

Further details can be found here.

This family has already been moved multiple times by the NIHE, from Belfast to Belleek, to Newry, to Standing Stones Lodge and now to Portrush.

The only thing the children in this family want is a safe and stable home which enables them to attend school without a two hour commute each way. Their current temporary accommodation in Portrush is overcrowded with limited facilities (kitchens are shared and include one fridge and living space is shared) requiring to be shared between multiple families.

I note that according to the Fitness Standard, Designated Officers are required to take into account any representations around the fitness of accommodation which are made to them and request that you do so in the case of this family and any others whom NIHE may be supporting in both Portrush and at Standing Stones.

Private landlords and hotel owners should only be in receipt of public money where it can be shown that the accommodation they are offering is of an adequate standard and that their treatment of homeless families is respectful.

Making a complaint or participating in a documentary about your experiences does not provide grounds for a temporary accommodation provider to remove you – this kind of intimidation is wholly unacceptable.

Please respond urgently and directly to the family concerned outlining the steps you are taking to provide them with suitable accommodation before the weekend.

Yours Sincerely,

[Your name]

[Your email]

Campaign ended.