More than 44,000 people are on the housing waiting list in Northern Ireland as housing associations say more needs to be done following a record year of new builds.
Housing Associations in Northern Ireland have exceeded targets for new homes in the past year saying that it has been one of the most successful years for the sector in recent years.
Despite this, tens of thousands of people remain on the housing waiting list and thousands more are living in housing stress and housing associations have warned that any cuts to the housing budget would be a "would be a retrograde step" that would negatively impact waiting lists in the future.
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In 2022/23, there were 1,449 new homes created in the social housing sector in 82 schemes while work commenced on 1,956 new homes.
Seamus Leheny, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations (NIFHA), said: “It is a remarkable achievement that housing associations have exceeded the targets for new starts and completions on homes in 2022/23, in the face of very significant economic challenges faced by the construction sector.
"The need for more new social housing is clear right across Northern Ireland, and our members are faced with the challenge of delivering new projects in tight time frames, within limited budgets and often in the backdrop of an over burdened planning system. With 1,956 new starts and 1,449 completed homes, it is one of the most successful periods the sector has had in recent years.
“We are aware that there is much more to do. The Housing waiting list is considerable and construction costs have risen significantly. What we want to see is the next social housing budget allocation matching the ambition and ability of the social housing sector to deliver on targets for new homes. Cuts to the housing budget at this time would be a retrograde step and would have long term implications for how we deal with housing waiting lists."
The latest statistics for on social housing building are published at the same time that NIFHA has published its Local Government Election manifesto, which sets out a number of areas where locals councils can support and improve the delivery of social housing across NI.
This includes the need to improve processing and consideration times for planning application, and working with housing associations to identify more suitable land for new social homes.
Mr Leheny added that NIFHA was ready to work with elected representatives to ensure more homes can be built.
He said: “This week we have published NIFHA’s Local Election Manifesto, which looks at the practical way local councils can support housing associations and social housing development.
"We believe stronger partnership work can help us all improve the housing stock and build strong, successful communities, and we look forward to working to achieve this.”
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