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NI landlords call for at least 10% increase in government funding for social housing
The Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Association (NIFHA) has called on the government to increase its funding for new build social housing by at least 10%.
NIFHA, which represents the 20 housing associations that manage more than 57,000 homes across Northern Ireland, made the call ahead of its annual conference, which started on Wednesday.
The landlords have challenged the Department for Communities to recognise the importance of social housing provision by increasing its funding for new build social housing.
The housing sector in Northern Ireland is also calling for additional support for the Supporting People budget, a programme which supports more than 19,000 people to live independently.
NIFHA pointed out that housing associations exceeded targets set in 2022-23 for both new build completions and new starts, but warned that budget cuts could impact this year’s targets.
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In a letter to Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton-Harris, Seamus Leheny, chief executive of NIFHA, set out the need for further investment in housing to address the rising housing waiting list.
To meet the 2,200 new homes required each year, Mr Leheny said there will need to be significant additional financial investment from the department that would be matched by the housing associations through private finance.
Earlier this month, NIFHA said it raised this issue at the NI Assembly All-Party Group on Housing, and has gathered the support of other political parties including Sinn Féin, Democratic Unionist Party, Alliance Party, Ulster Unionist Party and the Social Democratic and Labour Party.
Mr Leheny said: “We are lurching slowly and surely toward a crisis in housing in Northern Ireland, with an ever increasing waiting list and growing numbers of people living in housing stress.
“To deliver 2,200 new homes each year, we will need at least a 10% rise in the social housing development budget, and that is before we consider inflation.
“We know the budgetary pressures faced, but there is an urgent need to take some action on housing. There is a real concern within the social housing sector that any reduction in the Social Housing Development Programme budget will have a serious, detrimental long-term impact on thousands of families on waiting lists and wider society.
“Housing associations will match any public funding allocated to housing, so the government is getting financial value as well as addressing a serious policy need.”
On the Supported People funding increase, Mr Leheny added that without an increase, there would undoubtedly be further pressure put on the health service and other care services.
The Department for Communities has been contacted for comment.
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