NIHRC Hosts Centre for Homelessness Impact in Belfast to Discuss Human Rights, Homelessness Prevention and Sport

The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) recently welcomed Joanne Metcalfe and colleagues from the Centre for Homelessness Impact (CHI) to Belfast for two days of discussion and engagement focused on homelessness prevention.

The Commission works to promote awareness and education of human rights across Northern Ireland. Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights recognises the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living, including adequate food, clothing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions.

In its Annual Statement 2025 the Human Rights Commission the Commission recommended a collaborative cross-departmental approach with the goal of eliminating all forms of homelessness in NI. This includes working with representative organisations and housing support organisations to identify effective early intervention models and to address the causes and impacts of homelessness.

The CHI visit connects this work and provided an opportunity to share learning from Northern Ireland and explore how sport and human rights approaches can contribute to preventing homelessness before people reach crisis point.

A key focus of the visit was CHI’s recent Play for Change research, which explores the role sport can play in preventing homelessness. The research highlights how participation in sport can help build protective factors including wellbeing, confidence, resilience, belonging and social connection, while also providing pathways into employment and acting as a gateway to wider support.

As part of the visit, NIHRC hosted a roundtable bringing together people working across the sport, homelessness, criminal justice and human rights sectors. The discussion explored the links between homelessness prevention, participation, community connection and human rights, as well as examples of innovative practice across Northern Ireland.

The visit also included a visit to Street NI, where Joanne and colleagues heard directly about the organisation’s work supporting people experiencing homelessness and social exclusion. Street NI uses sport, education, employability, community development and social enterprise to support people, including refugees and asylum seekers and people experiencing long-term unemployment.

The discussions highlighted the value of approaches that build connection, belonging and opportunity alongside more traditional forms of support. They also considered the importance of working with communities and people with lived experience to develop prevention-focused responses to homelessness.

The visit connected closely with the work of NIHRC’s Sport and Human Rights Forum, which bring together organisations and individuals to explore how sport can advance human rights and inclusion.

The two-day visit provided an opportunity to share learning, build relationships and consider opportunities for future collaboration between NIHRC, CHI and organisations across Northern Ireland.

By bringing together expertise from the homelessness, sport, community and human rights sectors, the discussions contributed to a wider conversation about how prevention can be strengthened and how people can be supported before homelessness reaches crisis point.

Read more about the Play for Change report here: Play for change: The role of sport in preventing homelessness before it starts 

Read more about the Commissions advice on protecting the right to an adequate standard of living here

Find out more about the Sports and Human Rights Forum here