Sinn Féin's Housing spokesperson, Carál Ní Chuilín, has called for social housing targets to be revised after a senior Housing Executive official admitted enough social homes are being built to meet demand in the North West.

Calling on the Department for Communities and the Housing Executive to revise their targets, Ms Ní Chuilín urged both bodies to increase the supply of social housing in areas of greatest need.

"There are currently around 24,000 people on the social housing waiting list either accepted as homeless or living in housing stress across the North," she said.

-- Advertisement --

"The greatest disparity between supply and demand is located in North and West Belfast, Foyle and Newry/Armagh constituencies.

"The decision by an SDLP Minister in 2010 to remove ring-fenced protections for social housing has left the Housing Executive playing catch up to reduce demand. This has undoubtedly failed and the Derry area has felt the full wrath of this decision."

Continuing, Ms Ní Chuilín said the crisis is "underpinned by a shortage of social housing in areas of greatest need".

"Families are rearing children in overcrowded conditions, temporary accommodation and hostels," she said.

"The failure to build sufficient social housing is undermining the ability of the Housing Executive to fulfil its statutory duty to address homelessness.

"It is resulting in more and more households being forced to rely on the private rented sector, where tenants face higher rents, worse conditions and less security of tenure. The Department for Communities and the Housing Executive need to revise its targets and prioritise increasing the supply of social housing in areas of greatest need."

(LM)