Social housing providers have written to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland calling for increased investment in order to tackle lengthy waiting lists.
It is also calling for additional support for the Supporting People budget, a programme which supports more than 19,000 to live independently.The NIFHA has expressed concern that budget cuts will impact the ability to create new social housing properties, with 2,200 new homes being required every year. This comes after housing associations exceeded the targets set for both new build completions and new-starts in 2022/23.
He said: "We are lurching slowly and surely toward a crisis in housing in Northern Ireland, with an ever increasing waiting list, and growing numbers of people living in housing stress. It is quite clear that we need to be building more homes. Last year housing associations exceeded the targets set by the Department for Communities, but even that is not enough.
“We also want to see Supporting People funding increased. For almost 15 years his budget was left static, which was effectively a cut when inflation was considered. Recent additional support is welcome, but the budget does not reflect the demand and impact the service can have. What Supporting People does is provide additional support to individuals to live independently and play a wider role in the community.