Retreat Housing
Retreat Housing is a community-led housing initiative providing settled housing and integration support for newly recognised refugees from the Horn of Africa residing in Belfast.
Why is the project needed?
After being granted refugee status, individuals have a short period (now reverted to only 28 days) to leave asylum accommodation, which often leads to homelessness for many.
Refugees face long waits for social housing and encounter barriers to private rentals, primarily due to affordability issues and prejudice from landlords. In many cases, the only option is overcrowded and poor-quality housing, leading to poor health and wellbeing.
Without a settled home, newcomers are unable to access employment, as employers are often reluctant to hire individuals without a fixed address, which affects their ability to settle into the community.
The Housing Solution
Retreat Housing provides affordable, stable housing for refugees from the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and Sudan) who face barriers accessing housing after receiving their settled status.
The model adopts a community-led housing approach designed to help newcomers successfully integrate into the local area, enhancing their wellbeing and promoting social cohesion and inclusivity.
HAPANI support staff offer tenants a variety of integration services, including language training, guidance accessing education and employment opportunities and mental health care, as well as help maintaining tenancies and navigating benefits.
The Belfast-based project operates across three multi-bedroom properties purchased by Commonweal, supporting both families and single adults separately. Individuals and families can stay in the homes until they are ready to transition to more permanent, longer-term housing.
In parternhip with:
HAPANI -a non-governmental organisation supporting individuals from the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan) that reside in Northern Ireland
Key Statistics
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In December 2025, Northern Ireland supported 2,608 asylum seekers from over 75 countries. The top nationalities were Somali, Syrian, Eritrean, Sudanese, and Iraqi.
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Across England, the number of refugee households experiencing homelessness has increased fivefold in the last four years, from 3,560 in 2021/22 to 19,310 in 2024/25.
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Less than half of newly recognised refugees were able to secure housing, even with the 56-day temporary extension to the asylum move-on period, according to the Refugee Council.
Project progress
Following the project launch in early 2026, an independent evaluation of Retreat Housing is underway by Dr Tony Macaulay of Macaulay Associates, a consultancy firm specialising in community development and cohesion in Northern Ireland.
The evaluation aims to assess how similar community-led housing initiatives can support refugee reintegration and promote social cohesion.
We anticipate sharing project learnings in early 2027.
"Community-led housing is a powerful new tool for refugee integration, providing long-term solutions to housing instability. By involving refugees with lived experience in the leadership and delivery of the projects, it provides safe, stable, and culturally appropriate homes for them".
Suleiman Abdulahi, Founder and Director of HAPANI
Case study: Maggie’s* story:
Maggie and her children (2 older children and 1 younger) moved into Retreat Housing after experiencing over three years of housing instability. They faced frequent relocations, resulting in daily long-distance travel for the children's schooling. Maggie stated: "You just get a call…you are moving in the next two hours. It was very stressful, extremely stressful." Previous hotel and hostel accommodation was also severely overcrowded for the family dynamic. Upon moving into the Retreat property, Maggie feels relaxed and more optimistic about the future, stating, "We are much more settled now… this is our house." Maggie and her children now have individual bedrooms, providing space for privacy and studying: "They can read… they have privacy… they are happy."
*Names have been changed