Minister Gordon Lyons marked the announcement of the Housing Supply Strategy at Stormont with co-signatories Seamus Leheny (Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Association), Nicola McCrudden (Homeless Connect), Justin Cartwright (Chartered Institute of Housing Northern Ireland), Grainia Long (The Northern Ireland Housing Executive), and Mark Spence (Construction Employers Federation).
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has launched an ambitious cross-departmental plan to tackle housing issues.
Minister Lyons set out the first whole system Housing Supply Strategy at the Assembly. He said:
“The housing issues we face are significant, and the current situation is not sustainable. For too long, there has been no joined-up, cross-departmental approach to housing supply. That ends now.
“I am pleased to have the support of Executive colleagues to work together in new and innovative ways to deliver the supply of good quality, affordable and sustainable homes that we need in Northern Ireland.
“My ambition is to create a housing system that can deliver at least 100,000 homes - and more if needed. One third of these will be social homes, alongside an increased supply of intermediate homes delivered throughout the strategy lifetime.
“A safe, warm and affordable home is the foundation of so many things in life, and is linked to a broad range of positive health, education and economic outcomes. In addressing this we are seeking to change people’s lives for the better.”
The strategy contains a number of ambitions, including increasing housing supply across all tenures, reducing homelessness and improving housing quality.
The Minister added:
“This strategy goes beyond bricks and mortar, and looks at wider areas such as energy efficiency – making sure energy costs remain affordable and manageable for everyone. I will also launch a consultation on the Fuel Poverty Strategy shortly to address an issue which affects too many households across our community.”
The Housing Supply Strategy has been endorsed by organisations across the sector, including:
Chartered Institute of Housing Northern Ireland;
Homeless Connect;
Construction Employers Federation;
The Northern Ireland Housing Executive; and
Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Association.
Welcoming the release of the Department for Communities new Housing Supply Strategy, Housing Executive Chief Executive, Grainia Long, said:
“For years we’ve been arguing for a step change to housing and homelessness in Northern Ireland and this announcement by the Minister for Communities is a very welcome start.
“Having ringfenced prevention funding will help stem the homelessness tide before it washes up to the doors of homeless service providers - or our own offices - where people come for help and support every day.
“It is also a great boost to be able to offer a level of service protection to those organisations in the homeless sector delivering such vital services to our most vulnerable.
“Ultimately, new housing supply is the key to unlocking a secure future for those experiencing homelessness, so having an ambitious vision to make that happen is important and reflects the commitments made under the recently announced Programme for Government.
“I share the Minister’s vision and will work closely with the Department for Communities on the new housing framework.
“It is very important to hear the Minister state he will maintain his focus on the prioritisation of capital spending for new social homes.
“Decent, warm, safe and dry homes - eco-efficient and future proofed – will be provided by the Housing Executive and our partners in the Housing Associations sector to those in housing stress and our organisation’s revitalisation is key to this process.
“We can – and will – deliver new, low carbon, fuel efficient housing at the scale we need when this process is complete.
“A long road lies ahead, but I welcome the Minister’s renewed focus on working with all government departments to ensure this strategy delivers safety and security of tenure for families in need across Northern Ireland.”
Concluding Minister Gordon Minister added:
“I am pleased there is a recognition of the collective effort required to address these issues, across the Executive but also from a range of organisations throughout the sector. All involved appreciate the enormity of the task in front of us, and the need for both investment and transformative action. Yet in harnessing the collective will, and setting out the next steps, we are moving in the right direction.
“We are looking to work collaboratively, think different and promote change. This means being novel and innovative in our approach. It also means being ambitious in what we want to achieve.
“But most importantly, the whole system approach must put people, places and communities at its heart.”
The Housing Supply Strategy can be viewed here.