Members body for homelessness sector in Northern Ireland comes out in support of Welcome Organisation after threat

The statement today came after the Welcome Organisation’s building was badly damaged earlier in the week, when a suspected stolen car was rammed into its shutters and set alight, causing damage to both the inside and outside of the premises.

A man in his 40s who was arrested in connection with the attack has since been released on bail. The police said they were treating it as arson.

Jude Whyte, chair of the Welcome Organisation, said: “Our primary concern following this threat to the work of the Welcome Organisation is the safety of our staff and service users.

“As an emergency measure, we are looking to make alternative arrangements off site for our drop-in services with partners in Belfast city centre, to ensure that we can provide the vital support we know that service users need in Belfast.

“We are continuing to explore our options with statutory and voluntary partners to ensure the future of our drop-in services for people in need.

“The rest of our services, including outreach, accommodation-based services and floating support, continue to operate as normal.

“It is important that contractors are able to access the building so that the necessary works can be completed to secure the building. It is vital that they are able to do this without fear of violence or intimidation.

“We will do our utmost to support people experiencing homelessness in the days, weeks and months to come.”

The charity said it was grateful for the support it has received from across Belfast and was working to find alternative arrangements for the public to drop off much-needed donations.

Nicola McCrudden, chief executive of Homeless Connect, said: “We stand in solidarity with the Welcome Organisation following the recent attack on their site at Townsend Street. We are appalled that one of our member organisations has been attacked in this way.

“During this highly challenging time, we have and will continue to seek to support the staff and leadership team at the Welcome Organisation. They provide a vital service, compassionately seeking to support people experiencing chronic homelessness in Belfast.

“We know that the housing executive and other sector partners are keen to support the Welcome Organisation at this moment. As the representative body for the sector, we will work to ensure that the Welcome Organisation is able to continue to provide services off site to support people who continue to need their services in Belfast.”

This threat came in the same week as the level of funding allocated to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in the Budget was described by the body as “insufficient” to meet statutory homelessness obligations and would reduce the number of social homes being built “significantly”.