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Shelter NI

If you are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, you will need to register as homeless with the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. You can contact them by calling this number: 03448 920900.

To qualify for the full homeless duty, you must meet four tests, you must be entitled to live here, you must have no home that is suitable for you to live in, you must have a priority need, and you must not have caused or contributed to your homelessness (the intentionality test). 

What is a priority need: where you are vulnerable because you are old, you have a serious illness or disability including mental health or for some other special reason: where you are pregnant: where you have children in your household: where you are at risk of violence or are homeless because of violence: if you are homeless because of a natural disaster, like a flood: if you are under 20 and at risk of sexual or financial exploitation

The intentionality test judges whether you have done something deliberately to make yourself homeless or have failed to do something that you could have done to prevent yourself becoming homeless.

If you are accepted as a full duty homeless person or household, you will be entitled to permanent housing and may be placed in temporary accommodation while you are waiting for a permanent home.


If you have just moved into temporary accommodation and need furniture, you can contact Storehouse Belfast and Depaul.


If you don’t have access to public funds (e.g. seeking asylum), you may wish to contact charities such as Bryson Intercultural for support.

You can give us a call if you’d like more advice: 028 90325835