Only concerted action can ease housing anguish - Ritchie

Stories of human distress lie behind the figures on homelessness, social and affordable housing, Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie said today.

The Minister, speaking at the Shelter Northern Ireland conference on affordability, spoke of the challenges that she faces in her work towards ensuring that everyone has access to a decent, affordable home. She said:

“Not having a home is one of the worst things that can happen to people and, unfortunately, homelessness has increased dramatically in recent years and is now being faced by more than 20,000 households. Behind these impersonal statistics are human stories of distress and anguish.

“The problems have been made worse by the unprecedented increases in house values. Our average house price is now £215,000, simply out of reach for many people, particularly first-time buyers. This is dramatically illustrated by the fall in the number of first-time buyers which fell from 60% in 2001 to just 33% last year.

“Continuing speculation is reducing the amount of land available for housing. It has fuelled the doubling of land prices in the last 18 months. This means that the housing associations trying to deliver new social housing are struggling to find space for new developments. It also means that more of their budget has to be spent on acquiring land. A site can now cost nearly half of the budget for a new build, compared with just 9% back in 1993.

“Sir John Semple’s Report refers to the many things that could be done to improve the delivery of social and affordable housing. They involve other departments including Regional Development, Environment, Finance and the Office of the First and Deputy First Ministers. We have set up an inter-departmental group which I will chair and we will take expert advice on the various issues.

“The challenge for me and the Northern Ireland Executive will be to bring in changes that promote concerted action across organisational boundaries to extend housing choice for everyone.”

Notes to Editors:

Further information can be found on the DSD website.