The Stormont Social Development Minister Alex Attwood has welcomed a landmark 21,000th home purchased through the Co-Ownership housing scheme.

The house is in Antrim, and belongs to young family Claire Scott and Richard Young, with daughter Katie.

Welcoming them to their new home, Social Development Minister Alex Attwood said: "Co-ownership provides a key service for those who cannot buy their homes outright. The Young family are a prime example of that. Through the Co-Ownership scheme, government and the private sector are successfully providing affordable housing to many more people who want a base from which to build their future.

"It is crucial that there is a 22,000 owner and 23,000 owner and so on and so forth. I feel there is a serious - potentially catastrophic - scenario if housing is not funded properly. I will be doing everything in my power to convince my Executive colleagues of that when it comes to the capital budget for 2011-15.

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"But at the same time, we must look at our own costs, overheads, salary levels and remuneration packages, every penny and pound we spend in DSD, in the NIHE housing associations and across the hundreds of organisations in receipt of monies," he said.

Claire and Ricky commented: "We didn't think we could own a home, especially at the moment when it is so difficult to get a mortgage but everything went through quickly and very smoothly. We got the first house we had our eye on and the garden's a great size for Katie to play in."

Alan Crowe, Chief Executive of Co-Ownership Housing added: "Ricky and Claire applied to Co-Ownership at the beginning of March. Everything was sorted inside three weeks and they then fixed their moving date for the end of May," he continued.

"The 21,000th Co-Ownership home is a major achievement for all concerned and proves that, no matter what is happening in the housing market, Co-Ownership can help people into the property of their choice."

Co-Ownership offers a free, confidential information service. Contact Co-Ownership Housing direct on freephone 0800 333644 or www.co-ownership.org.

(GK/BMcC)