Ballymena riots: Those needing housing will increase, say NIHE

Stormont’s finance minister will bring a proposal to the executive for additional funding for the PSNI, Michelle O’Neill has said.

The PSNI Chief Constable has repeatedly raised concerns about resources for the force, and did so again on Thursday following several nights of disorder.

Justice Minister Naomi Long said she was “delighted” that it looks as though the executive would agree a bid of £5m she had submitted to assist the PSNI with the costs of the past week’s unrest.

“It’s a good start but long-term investment is required.”

A family with children were moved from a house in Coleraine after they were targeted in a racially motivated arson attack, according to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

The PSNI said they received a report at approximately 03:00 BST on Friday of a fire at the rear of a property in the Mount Street area of the town.

They said an oil tank had been set alight, causing damage to the outside of the property and filling the property with smoke.

“A man and woman and their four young children who were inside the house at the time were thankfully able to escape uninjured,” a spokesperson said.

NIHE chief executive Grainia Long said she expects the number of people seeking help to rise, adding that demand for emergency and temporary accommodation is extremely high.

Speaking to the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme, Ms Long described the last week as “extraordinary”, saying there is an “unprecedented number of families locally who feel it is unsafe to stay in their home”.

“Demand is extremely high, and it has been one of those weeks where everyone has had to move very quickly to respond.”

“We do expect the numbers to increase as households make decisions about what is safe for them.”

While demand for temporary housing is on the rise, Ms Long said the availability of appropriate housing is an issue.

“We don’t have any contingency or additional accommodation,” she said.

“We are working to make sure we have the right numbers of temporary accommodation.”

She added that NIHE staff “have been out on the ground, supporting communities, working within them and ensuring their safety”, as well as “working with older people who are scared and asking questions about their safety”.

Ms Long told BBC News NI that she is “worried about households that we may lose contact with, those who may be vulnerable to exploitation, particularly those with children”.

There has been disorder in Northern Ireland for four nights in a row, with a lower level seen on Thursday than earlier in the week.

Police said that in some instances families hid in attics and wardrobes during the disorder.

In east Belfast, police said bricks were thrown through the windows of two houses on Avoniel Road in a racially motivated attack.

A small fire was lit at the Manse Road roundabout in Newtownabbey, and reports of anti-immigration “hate graffiti” are being investigated in Newtownards.

During the first three days of violence, 41 officers were injured and 15 people arrested.

On Thursday evening, about 100 people attended an anti-racism protest in west Belfast.

BBC News NI spoke to residents in some of the streets affected.

One man said: “There’s one section of the community and we don’t want them and I don’t care, you can call me a racist if you want.

“There’s been brothels in round here, there’s been trafficking.

“We were forgot about, nobody looked near us. The horse has bolted.”

Another said: “It’s an area here that over the last number of years we believe has been genuinely neglected by the powers that be.

“We would be critical of a lot of the statutory agencies.”

He added: “There’s obviously then some real issues around prostitution, human trafficking.

“As a community we’re trying to work our way through this and it’s far from easy.”

However, some residents were feeling the impact of the violence.

“It’s been very terrifying, especially for the kids,” said one resident.

“When you see people holding sticks and batons, destroying things and all that, we’re going to be very afraid, especially my kids.

“Since these incidents, every day the police knock on the door and ask ‘are you guys OK, are you safe?'”

There is no “crisis” of relations within the executive despite calls for the DUP minister Gordon Lyons to resign over his comments about recent trouble in Northern Ireland, the first minister has said.

Michelle O’Neill had accused Mr Lyons of “inflaming tensions” following his social media post about the location of migrant families who fled their homes earlier this week.

Lyons, Stormont’s housing minister, said he had no intention of resigning and that he had been subject to a “political pile-on”.

Speaking at the British-Irish Council on Friday, O’Neill said she stood over her comments, but insisted Sinn Fein and the DUP could “still get on with governance”.

Sinn Féin, Alliance and the Green Party had all called on the minister to consider his position on Thursday.

Meanwhile, senior health professionals in Northern Ireland have issued a joint statement saying the “appalling and violent scenes of recent days are nothing short of shameful”.

“We know there will be many of our international colleagues within the committed and dedicated health and social care and independent sector workforce who will be distressed by what has unfolded,” the statement adds.

“We know that, less than a year after similar scenes on our streets last summer, you are once again left feeling frightened and anxious.

“But please know this: You are welcome, you are deeply valued, and you have our full support. We are the better for your presence here.”