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CIH Northern Ireland launches ‘urgent’ call to action in new report
The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Northern Ireland has launched a new report aimed at tackling the housing and homelessness crisis.
The report, An agenda for change: Tackling the housing and homelessness crisis, was launched on Thursday; it outlined a series of strategic policy priorities aimed at addressing the challenges facing Northern Ireland.
This includes a need to accelerate Northern Ireland’s progress towards net zero housing, secure sustainable capital financing for housing development, and address infrastructure challenges that “threaten future housing growth”.
According to the report: “Our housing and welfare system is in crisis, but not irreparably so.
“Northern Ireland faces complex challenges, but housing is a cornerstone of the solution.
“By investing in safe, affordable homes, we can enhance our communities, drive economic recovery, and address pressing social issues.”
It said Northern Ireland needs “clear, long-term plans” backed by finance to meet housing needs.
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CIH Northern Ireland said it has directly engaged with ministers, urging immediate action on several fronts to prevent further escalation of the crisis.
The report called for “substantial” increases in capital funding dedicated to housing and for housing to be a higher political priority to tackle the undersupply of social homes. The latter should be done by making housing a priority in the upcoming programme for government.
CIH Northern Ireland is calling for a reverse of recent budget cuts and expanding the social housing development programme.
Earlier this year, the Department for Communities’ capital budget was cut by 38% in the Northern Ireland budget, in a move described as “devastating” by the CIH.
The capital budget for the department, which is responsible for housing, funds the Social Housing Development Programme.
Last month, the Housing Executive said the level of funding allocated to it in the Budget is “insufficient” to meet statutory homelessness obligations and will reduce the number of social homes being built “significantly”.
The CIH’s new report called for statutory duty to be placed on bodies to prevent homelessness. Currently, the Housing Executive is not obliged to prevent homelessness. The landlord itself has called for a legal duty to be placed on it.
Alongside this, the report called for the revitalisation of Housing Executive, a long-discussed issue, to address its funding challenges and to remove public borrowing limitations.
It encourages the development of mixed-tenure housing schemes to foster “diverse and cohesive communities”.
As it stands, Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK and Ireland without a dedicated fund for housing decarbonisation.
The report called for the urgent establishment of such a fund to reduce carbon emissions in the housing sector, including investment in energy-efficient homes and retrofitting existing housing stock.
The CIH said this is essential “not only for meeting environmental targets”, but also for ensuring that residents benefit from lower energy costs and healthier living environments.
Ministers should introduce new build standards at Energy Performance Certificate rating A or net zero, the report said, and introduce “clear and legally” binding minimum energy efficiency standards across all tenures.
The CIH urged government to invest in skills and innovation to “make Northern Ireland a leader in low-carbon technology, retrofit and construction”.
It emerged earlier this year that around 19,000 homes in Northern Ireland are unable to proceed because of a lack of wastewater capacity.
The report urged the government to explore potential reforms that would enable NI Water to access the capital needed to support future housing developments and infrastructure projects.
The report calls for the delivery of sustainable services for independent living, including securing adequate funding for the Supporting People programme.
It also called for more training for housing workers, including the development of promotion of apprenticeships and new degrees.
Alongside the recommendations, the report highlighted the long-term economic benefits of investing in housing, including job creation, improved health outcomes, and reduced public expenditure on emergency housing solutions.
Justin Cartwright, national director of CIH Northern Ireland, said the housing and homelessness crisis “requires bold, immediate action, and this manifesto report lays out a clear roadmap for government to overcome the identified challenges”.
He said: “Accelerating progress towards net zero homes and addressing the budget challenges that threaten our housing ambitions are essential to be able to provide the homes needed.
“Resolving Northern Ireland’s housing crisis will require cross government support and action.
“CIH Northern Ireland is committed to working with the minister for communities and the minister for infrastructure to implement the measures recommended within the report.”
In line with the report’s recommendations, the housing body has written directly to the housing minister Gordon Lyons, expressing concern over Northern Ireland’s progress towards net zero housing.
It has also reached out to infrastructure minister John O’Dowd regarding the issue of NI Water’s current structure.
The Department for Communities and Department for Infrastructure have been contacted for comment.
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