Sinn Féin is calling for a major social housing programme to be established in Northern Ireland.

Housing spokesperson Carál Ní Chuilin urged the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and the Department of Communities to develop more homes.

She made the call after a new report by the Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI) demonstrated that the lack of affordable social housing is driving many families into the private rented sector at "costs they cannot afford".

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She said: "The impact of this mismatch between low incomes and high rents means that many families are forced to choose between eating and heating and in some cases whether to pay the rent thus leading to homelessness.

"If we are serious about tackling poverty in our society then a good start would be to tackle the lack of affordable social housing.

"We have over 20,000 people in housing stress and the waiting list will continue to grow until there is a clear commitment, plan and finance put in place to address this very serious issue. I am calling on any future Executive to commit to negotiating with the British government to put in place the financial resources to tackle this very pressing social issue."

(CD/LM)