People Before Profit Councillor Shaun Harkin
Said Cllr Harkin: “People Before Profit welcome the announcement that the Housing Executive will build new houses for the first time in 25 years.
“The North Belfast Housing Executive pilot scheme can be a first step towards revitalising the body as the main strategic social housing builder and provider.
“A revitalised, properly funded and publicly accountable Housing Executive is needed to urgently address the chronic housing crisis that affects tens of thousands of people.
“Stormont Executive parties sat on their hands for decades allowing the social housing supply crisis to spiral out of control.
“The lack of urgency to address this crisis has been criminal.
“The housing waiting list of almost 50,000, including 6, 000 in Derry, is an all time high.
“It is leaving people desperate for a home and putting unsustainable pressure on Housing Executive staff and support organisations.
“We urgently need more houses to be built, not only in North Belfast, but in every area where there is a high demand and a long waiting list.
“All the main parties in the North followed a Tory, neoliberal policy of privatisation which has decimated our social housing sector.
“These damaging policies eroded the provision and quality of social housing – and created the present housing crisis.
“The right to decent, affordable and secure housing was a major victory for our Civil Rights movement.
“Urgent action must be taken to increase the supply of social housing, to improve the conditions and standards of existing housing, and to protect the tenants and homeowners from eviction and exploitation.”
