SDG 10: Reduced inequalities >

SDG 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries

Northern Ireland

According to OECD data, there are more than 2 million people in advanced countries without a home and a roof to shelter under, who live and face one of the most extreme forms of social exclusion every day. A number growing by 10% every year, with the U.S. ranking first and then Northern Ireland with the highest incidence of homelessness among advanced European countries — a phenomenon induced by the not-so-distant 2019 housing crisis.

After many years in which the rate of families with home ownership was among the highest in the world, the situation in Ireland has changed due to the financial crisis first and then the Brexit, with rent costs nearly quadrupling in the past 5 years, leading to a considerable increase in evictions and inequalities within the country.

Guindani went to Belfast to photograph the conditions of homeless people with the aim of raising awareness of their extremely difficult situation. Inequality is in fact one of the major obstacles to sustainable development and the fight against poverty. The project “Housing First Belfast” launched in 2013 by the Helm Housing institute aims to combat this phenomenon.

The goal of this project is placing homeless people in individual independent apartments, with the aim of promoting their well-being and social reintegration, also offering instrumental and emotional support by multi-professional teams dedicated to different needs such as housing management, health care or finding employment.