Belfast mum of five's 'horrific' weeks in temporary accommodation waiting for permanent home

A homeless mum, who has been living in hotels and B&Bs across Northern Ireland with her five children over recent weeks, says the current system is an "absolute joke".

Nicole Etchells from East Belfast and her children are among the hundreds of homeless people in Northern Ireland being moved around temporary accommodation.

Recent figures obtained by Belfast Live show the Housing Executive has spent over £20m in the past five years lodging homeless people in specialist accommodation such as hotels and guest houses.

READ MORE: £20m bill for over 14,000 hotel and B&B stays for Northern Ireland's homeless

READ MORE: NIHE sell over 2,000 homes in last five years amid housing crisis

Almost 15,000 placements were made from 1st April 2019 to 31st March 2023 in what the organisation described as "non-standard" premises - at an average cost of nearly £1,300.

The Northern Ireland Housing Executive says there has been a significant increase in demand for temporary accommodation since the onset of the Covid pandemic in March 2020, which has continued over the past four years.

Nicole, 31, has been on a housing waiting list since early February after her landlord decided to sell the rental property she'd been living in for the previous two years. Since then she and her family have been put in a hotel in Limavady, then an Air B&B in Antrim for four weeks followed by a week in more temporary accommodation in Kilkeel.

She told Belfast Live: "Hotels just aren't suitable for a family and that's where we were for six weeks in Limavady, 65 miles away from Belfast and my kids' schools. I had to use the hotel facilities to feed the kids but I don't think anyone could afford to feed five kids in a hotel every night.

"I spent a fortune while I was there on food and ended up having to borrow money off everyone just to afford £50 for a basic main meal at night. The hotel did provide a continental breakfast but everything else had to be paid for."

As a result of being moved around over recent months. Nicole says her older children have been missing out at school: "It's been a pretty horrific time. My youngest child turned one in April and the oldest is 15 and about to sit her GCSEs. My oldest girl missed some of her mock exams in February. The primary schools have been nothing but amazing in terms of sending work through via Apps.

"The kids have also been missing their friends and their routine is also all over the place. My wee boy especially, who is autistic, is finding it really hard. He loves doing well at school and it's his main social interaction so this has been a big shock for him."

Nicole and her kids are currently living with her mum in Sydenham after being offered more temporary accommodation in a hotel in Omagh or a hostel in Portrush, which she refused.

She added: "I have requested a three or four bedroom house in the Sydenham area. I'm in regular contact with the Housing Executive and reached out to some local MLAs to try and get things moving. This whole situation around temporary accommodation needs to be sorted as it's an absolute joke and there are so many other families in the same boat."

The Housing Executive says it's working to find a solution to her housing requirements, adding that she has requested to be housed in an area of high demand.

A Housing Executive spokesperson said: "We are aware of the circumstances of this applicant and we are working to find a solution to their housing requirements. Temporary accommodation was provided for the household after their private rental arrangements ended, however the applicant has made us aware that they will be making their own temporary accommodation arrangements for the foreseeable future.

“The applicant has requested to be housed in areas of high housing demand and low housing turnover and we will continue to try and provide a positive housing solution in this case. We have a statutory duty to provide temporary accommodation to those who present to us as homeless and may have a priority housing need.

“Additionally, those who are found to be statutorily homeless will be entitled to temporary accommodation until such times as a permanent allocation of social housing can be made. The rise in demand for social housing and increased numbers of individuals and families who are homeless and require temporary accommodation has been unprecedented in recent times.

“New social homes, built by housing associations, help alleviate housing need across Northern Ireland. However, despite sustained and continued investment in social and affordable housing, supply is not keeping pace with current demand.

“This means households are waiting longer for social housing and that more households are having to access temporary accommodation. There was a significant increase in demand for temporary accommodation at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, and this has continued over the last four years.

“Factors influencing the continuing number of those having to use temporary accommodation include pressures on the affordable housing market, reductions in the number of properties in the private rented sector, a growth in family breakdowns and an increase in those being found to be statutorily homeless.

“Non-standard accommodation is only used in the absence of other suitable options and for as short a duration as possible.”

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