Mr McGahan was speaking about the future delivery of social housing and its impact on society.
He said: “Provision of a good stable home is central to tackling social exclusion and a wide range of complex problems, such as, unemployment, poor health, low income, low educational attainment, deprived neighbourhoods, crime and anti-social behaviour.”
In praising the hard work and dedication of everyone in the housing sector Mr McGahan said:
“Social Housing in Northern Ireland has been transformed in the past 35 years. We should be proud of this success. Yet, more needs to be done to address homelessness.
“Margaret Ritchie, the Minister for Social Development, greatly appreciates the excellent work of the Simon Community in this regard and I am delighted to be here tonight to pass on the Minister’s praise to Carol O’Bryan and her excellent team.
“Our society in Northern Ireland is changing rapidly and we need to develop new policies and initiatives to deal with those changes. Everyone wants to see a society in Northern Ireland that does not exclude or disadvantage anyone.
“Our challenge is to create the homes that build the communities where people want to live, work and socialise. Our ambition must be to make homelessness a thing of the past.”
Notes to Editors:
- Simon Community actively responds to the needs of the homeless through initiatives aimed at prevention, provision and progression to independent living and provides a comprehensive service to homeless people including direct access hostels, leaving care services and community support services.
- Media enquiries to the DSD Information Office on 028 9082 9078. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 076 9971 440 and your call will be returned.
