SDLP Social Development Spokesperson Mark H Durkan has urged the Housing Minister to bring forward and implement an Empty Homes Strategy to address the chronic lack of social housing available to those most in need.

It was revealed to the Foyle MLA, through an Assembly Question to the Minister of Social Development, that 1500 privately owned residential properties are vacant in the greater Derry area alone.

Mr Durkan said that government needs to look at alternative methods of finding ways to house the most vulnerable including introducing a programme to purchase some of these vacant properties for social housing.

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The Foyle MLA said: "While I recognise that all areas of government are under strain at present, it is vital that social housing is made a priority by the Executive and that they introduce practical measures to ease housing waiting lists including purchasing vacant properties.

"With 1500 vacant privately owned residential properties in the Derry area alone, property prices at an all-time low and the supply of social housing extremely limited, it makes sense for these empty properties to be considered for purchase for social housing.

"This would go a long way to helping the 3000 families currently going nowhere on the housing list, 1800 of which are experiencing severe housing stress.

"My office is also being inundated with requests from constituents who are being made homeless as their private landlords are having their properties repossessed and as a result we are seeing families having to live apart with separate sets of relatives as they wait to be housed with no guarantees, putting additional strain on what is an already volatile situation.

"This is a totally unacceptable set-up when so many properties are lying vacant and so many people are in housing need."

(CD/GK)