The Department for Communities currently has a live consultation on the Warm Healthy Homes Fund, open until 19 August 2026. For anyone working at the intersection of health and community wellbeing, this is not a consultation to miss. 

Here’s why it matters. 

Housing is a health issue 

Cold, damp, or poorly insulated homes are directly linked to respiratory illness, cardiovascular conditions, excess winter mortality, and worsening mental health. For older people, disabled people, and families living in fuel poverty, the impact is not abstract — it is felt every day. 

VCSE organisations across Northern Ireland see this reality up close. From befriending services to community health champions to social prescribing link workers, our members are supporting people whose health outcomes are shaped as much by their home conditions as by anything a health service can provide. 

What the consultation is asking 

The Warm Healthy Homes Fund consultation invites views on the design and delivery of housing-related support aimed at improving warmth, energy efficiency, and home conditions for those most in need. This is a direct opportunity to influence how that resource reaches the most vulnerable communities. 

Our call to members 

The Northern Ireland Health Collective encourages all member organisations — particularly those working with older people, disability, poverty, and community health — to engage with this consultation before the 19 August deadline. 

Your frontline experience is evidence. Use it. 

👉 Consultation details and submission link via the Department for Communities website: communities-ni.gov.uk