Stormont target for social housing falls short by 1,000 homes

Stormont's budget will only fund work on about 1,000 new social houses this year, far short of the Northern Ireland Executive's target.

The Programme for Government committed to starting work on at least 5,850 new build social homes by 2027.

That equates to about 2,000 new starts per year which would be a big step up compared to the delivery rate of recent years.

However, on the basis of the current budget the number of homes started this year will be lower than the 1,504 started last year.

Speaking in the Northern Ireland Assembly on Monday, Communities Minister Gordon Lyons, who is responsible for housing, said he was operating in a "continually constrained" budget environment.

"The assembly last year declared a housing crisis in Northern Ireland, yet we are left in a position where we're funding less the 50% of the Programme for Government housing target," he said.

Lyons has committed 80% of his available capital spending to housing.

He also raised the possibility that more money would be forthcoming, pointing out that last year's initial budget only contained enough for 400 housing starts.

He said his department will "put the same effort into driving up these figures this year as we did last year".

Lyons said it was also necessary to consider "how to do more with the money we have to build more homes", adding that he will bring some proposals to the executive.

He pointed to medium term policies, such as getting borrowing powers for the Housing Executive, which should help to increase housing supply.

Lyons described social housing as "crucial", providing "affordable, stable housing options for those who might otherwise struggle in the private rental market".

He added that its inclusion in the Programme for Government "shows the widespread to deliver affordable, sustainable and quality housing".

Caoimhe Austin, from Londonderry, has been on the housing waiting list for three years and said she feels "despair" following Monday's announcement.

Ms Austin, who has mobility issues, said she would like politicians "to find out a bit more about the people who are waiting for houses and the type of situations that they are in.

"People are in really dire situations," she added

She said having a permanent home "would make a serious difference to my physical and mental well-being.

"There would be a huge improvement, because I would be able then to have or make the adaptations that I require that would make daily living a lot easier.

"I would have peace of mind and the potential for the ability to plan for the future depending on what happens with my health."

Figures published last month show that in the first quarter of this year 49,083 households in Northern Ireland were on a social housing waiting list.

The Department for Communities, which is the main funder for social housing, has allocated £63m to social housing.

It has a total capital budget of about £270m but most of that is already committed to existing projects.

The department can bid for additional money through the year in budget reallocation exercises, known as monitoring rounds.

A monitoring round is due to be held this month but there is no certainty about how much money will be available or how it will be prioritised.

The department would need an additional £62m to keep it on track to hit the Programme for Government target.

Seamus Leheny, the chief executive of the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations, said the country "is in the grip of a deepening housing crisis".

"The social housing waiting list grows every year - yet once again, the budget for new social homes falls woefully short.

"It's less than half of what's needed to even begin reducing that list," he said.

"While the minister's talk of new approaches is welcome, we need to see concrete plans now - not another year of delay.

"We can't afford to be in the same position this time next year, still waiting for action, with uncertainty for social housing builders and a growing waiting list."