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'You can't expect people to start rebuilding their lives without a feeling of security'

Kelly Bonner
BBC News NI
BBC Susan is wearing a white turtle neck jumper under a black body warmer. She has black squarish glasses on and is standing against a yellow cream wall smiling.BBC
Susan Duncan works for the charity Welcome Organisation that manages the new accommodation centre

Northern Ireland's first women-only temporary crisis accommodation has opened near Belfast city centre.

Known as a crash facility, and aimed towards people in urgent need of a place to stay, the centre is the only one in Northern Ireland exclusively for women.

Homelessness charity the Welcome Organisation, which manages the facility, said it was vital.

Figures collected by the charity indicate the number of women sleeping rough on the streets of Belfast had more than tripled in five years - from 17 in 2019/20 to 65 in 2024/25.

A facility user described it as "a lifeline".

Maria, which is not her real name, said that she has been homeless for 10 years and that sleeping rough on the streets of Belfast was "horrifying".

She said that while on the streets she had turned to drugs "to block out being homeless".

"I would be lost without the people who work here," she added. "I have never met better people. They want me to do well. They are rooting for me to be well and be better.

"It's the best thing for me because if I was left to my own devices I would end up doing stuff I shouldn't do. But the people here help me do well and I wouldn't let them down or disappoint them."

How does the Belfast crash facility work?

The facility, which is funded by the Housing Executive, currently helps 10 women, but Susan Duncan, from the Welcome Organisation, told BBC News NI there are plans to expand to 26 spaces by next year with more permanent accommodation.

The centre has 24-hour support and allows women to be in the bedrooms from 18:00.

Elma has blond hair shoulder length, in a slight side parting. She has black round glasses with a pink rim. She is wearing a black shirt with pink and orange patterns on it. She's standing in a kitchen facility, smiling at the camera.
Elma Newberry says the "complexities and the trauma that some of these women have been through is huge"

Ms Duncan said the figures on women sleeping rough in Belfast are "very concerning" and that the people the facility helps "have nowhere else to go".

"We're talking about women with more complex needs. We have women turn up to our doors who are maybe experiencing domestic violence, that maybe have mental health issues or addiction issues."

Every woman that uses the service needs a referral to the Housing Executive to get a bed for the night.

Elma Newberry, the Housing Executive's director of strategic housing authority, underlined the importance for women to have access to women-only spaces.

"The complexities and the trauma that some of these women have been through is huge. They need a safe space," she added.

"Residents do need to move on because obviously a crash facility is an emergency facility, and it is very short-term. So, it is making sure they can continue with the support that they need to take them along into a permanent tenancy."

Getty Images A woman sleeping rough in the doorway of a shop. She is covered in a purple fluffy blanket. She is resting on two yellow pillows. Three bags and a pair of sandals are scattered around her. There is a shopping basket filled with three black bin bags beside her.Getty Images
The number of women sleeping rough on the streets of Belfast more than tripled in five years, according to figures from homelessness charity the Welcome Organisation

Ms Duncan said the facility is "excellent".

"People have their own space, it's friendly and homely and it is safe. And that is the most important part.

"You can't expect people to start rebuilding their lives without that feeling of security."

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