|
Clifton House , Belfast's oldest public building was a suitable setting for the launch of "No Home From Home " the latest report from the NIHRC. The co- authors Roisin Devlin and Sorcha McKenna interviewed many non UK nationals who have become homeless and are excluded from statutory support due to a complex mix of EU and domestic migration law. They also spoke to the NI Housing Executive, the Health and Social Care Trusts and the Social Security Agency. The recent case of attacks against members of the Roma community and their subsequent homelessness showed how these agencies together with the voluntary sector can work together in an emergency and this episode served as an illustration of the urgent need for legislative change and guidance on the responsibilities of statutory bodies for non UK nationals facing homelessness.
It was in the house where Mary Ann McCracken, an advocate of the rights of women and children, devoted her life to the poor of Belfast that this report was presented and it gave us all much to think about. Paddy Skates and Hazel Holmlund attended the launch and they will have copies of the report at our September meeting.
Back
|