Hargey pledges £162m to new build social housing

THOUSANDS of people in the North are living in social housing limbo, stranded on a seemingly endless waiting list, feeling like they are holding their breath for a house that may never come.

Consequently, thousands of normal families are suffering from acute housing stress.

In an effort to energise the lethargic rate of construction which is failing to address long housing waiting lists, Communities Minister, Deidre Hargey, has committed 64 per-cent of her capital budget to a housing reform plan – this translates to £162 million investment in a new build plan and £15 million to support housing associations working with the construction sector to build new homes.

This is a significantly- greater budgetary investment than any of the department’s previous five, including £106m in 2016/17, £109m in 2017/18, £121m in 2018/19 £115m 2019/20, and £136m in 2020/21.

But recent statistics show just how grossly inadequate the rate of new social housing construction is compared to the demand it should be trying to meet, raising the question, has the department went far enough?

Across the whole of the six counties in 2020/21 there were 1,304 new social homes built. However, as of June 2021, there were almost 45,000 applicants on social housing waiting lists, a reality which SDLP West Tyrone MLA, Daniel McCrossan has labelled “woefully inadequate”, which he illustrated with reference to the fact that at the current building rate it would take over 34 years to clear existing waiting lists.

CONCERNING

Gravely concerning at a local level is the fact that in West Tyrone there were 1,880 people on such waiting lists as of June 2021, but in the last year only 18 social homes have been built.

But the language the communities minister has been using regarding this issue suggests the utmost seriousness, reminding us that having a home is a person’s ‘fundamental right’.

The Minister continued, “The new programme is a massive injection of capital to address housing stress now and in the future.

”The investment I have directed to the social housing development programme represents 64 per-cent of my entire capital budget. That very much reinforces my commitment to addressing the needs of our society, the fundamental right to a home.

“The new homes being delivered right across our society will be life-changing to the people, children and families who are in housing stress. In order to deliver more homes for those who need them, we need a whole system approach.

“Through my reform programme, the revitalisation of the Housing Executive will be central to investing in existing homes, contributing to the supply of social housing and reducing housing stress, to achieve my vision that every household has access to a good quality, affordable and sustainable home that is appropriate to its needs.”