To ask the Minister for Communities what processes are used to measure the effectiveness and progress of the Shared Housing funded projects across NI.

Shared housing developments are supported through Good Relations Support funding to develop five-year Good Relations Plans, which are delivered to new shared housing tenants and communities within a five-mile radius of each development. The Plans’ events and projects are subject to formal monitoring, including participant feedback and submission of six-monthly monitoring returns to the Department for Communities. Plans are subjected to the requisite Post Project Evaluation process.

In addition, shared housing tenants complete Year 1, Year 3 and Year 5 Tenant Surveys; it is anticipated that these will provide longitudinal data of ‘distance travelled’ in relation to shared living. The Year 1 survey focuses on tenants’ reasons for choosing to live in a shared housing environment and their experiences after a twelve-month period. The Years 3 and 5 surveys focus on tenants’ participation in the Good Relations Plan activities.

The Department has also undertaken two evaluations of the Shared Housing Programme with key stakeholders to measure the effectiveness of the Programme and its reach. These evaluations have resulted in recommendations which have informed and developed the Programme guidance and supporting documents.