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Training Fund: Strengthening Lived Experience Leadership in Northern Ireland

Training Fund: Strengthening Lived Experience Leadership in Northern Ireland

Training Fund: Strengthening Lived Experience Leadership in Northern Ireland

Friday, July 11, 2025

 

We spoke to Nikki McConville from Homeless Connect about how the Training Fund helped her strengthen lived experience leadership in Northern Ireland. After completing the OCN Level 3 in Housing Advice, Nikki is now better equipped to support service users, influence policy, and ensure that the voices of those who’ve experienced homelessness are at the heart of decision-making.

Homeless Connect has been working to prevent and alleviate homelessness in Northern Ireland since 1983. As an umbrella body, it represents over forty organisations in the independent homelessness sector and supports people with lived experience to have their voices heard. The organisation delivers services that directly benefit individuals and communities, helping to sustain tenancies and redistribute food. 

Nikki, who works at Homeless Connect as a Lived Experience Co-ordinator, has been in her role for two and a half years.

“I have lived experience myself, having used a few of these services when I needed support. I joined Homeless Connect as a participant in a peer support project for people experiencing substance use. From there I began working part time as a peer support worker and gradually made my way up to the role of co-ordinator.”

Nikki’s role is to raise the voice of those with lived experience. This is achieved by building meaningful relationships with people who have used the services and the staff who deliver them.

Need for Training

The complexities of Northern Ireland's housing points system often cause confusion for both service users and staff. Nikki was looking for clarity to better support lived experience participants in engaging with issues around housing and homelessness policy. 

A key driver was feedback raised by the lived experience group during a Northern Ireland Housing Executive consultation on the Fundamental Review of Allocations, particularly regarding intimidation points and anti-social behaviour. More recently, the group contributed to Homeless Connect’s response to a homelessness prevention bill consultation launched by Colm Gildernew MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly). The proposed legislation aims to bring the social housing sector in line with the private rental sector by extending the time period the Housing Executive has, to support those facing homelessness through loss of tenure. 

Nikki also referenced work by Renter’s Voice, a lived experience group in Northern Ireland campaigning to end no-fault evictions. Gaining a deeper understanding of housing processes was essential to ensure lived experience participants receive accurate, relevant information and are empowered to provide feedback.

The Training

Nikki completed an OCN NI Level 3 Certificate in Housing Practice (Northern Ireland), an apprenticeship qualification aimed at developing housing sector skills and knowledge while working in a housing-related role. Delivered online over six weeks, the course consisted of one training session and one workbook each week. It covered a range of areas including: 

  • Northern Ireland housing legislation
  • Housing options
  • Types of accommodation
  • Social and private rented housing
  • Homelessness
  • Sustaining tenancies 

“The trainer was fantastic - approachable and understanding. Quite a high standard of delivery and support.”

The Impact

Nikki told us how lived experience can bring fresh insight and innovation to tackling homelessness, especially when people are supported to lead.

“Working with people with lived experience is a new way of working and thinking. When supported appropriately we can turn negative life experiences around and begin to seek creative solutions to reoccurring issues that we see across the sector.”

Nikki explained that the training has greatly improved her knowledge of the housing sector in Northern Ireland, empowering both staff and participants to better understand and respond to the sector’s challenges.

The Application Process

Nikki praised the Training Fund for its accessibility and straightforward application process, highlighting how vital this type of support is for smaller services in Northern Ireland that face increasing costs.

“I think the Training Fund is a fantastic fund, one that I encourage others to use. We have smaller services in Northern Ireland, with ever-increasing expenses in the Community and Voluntary Sector that could not cover the costs of training otherwise.”

Nikki says that she regularly attends meetings in Belfast and Derry/Londonderry and a topic that comes up regularly is professionalising the homelessness workforce: “That will take resources. Time and money. And lots of training.” 

 

If you have, or your team has, a training need that you are struggling to pay for

APPLY TO OUR TRAINING FUND

and we will do all that we can to help.

 

Find out more about Homeless Connect here: https://homelessconnect.org/ 

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