As part of her visit to the United States, NI Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie today visited Harlem, New York, one of the most deprived areas in the country.

The New York City Housing Department, the largest municipal developer of affordable housing in the United States, was very keen to hear details of her new Housing Agenda, recently launched in Northern Ireland.

Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York, has announced a $3.2 billion commitment to create and preserve more than 165,000 homes and apartments by 2013. Margaret Ritchie was therefore keen to discover in turn what lessons could be learned from such an ambitious programme.

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Margaret Ritchie said: "In Harlem, people are trying to move away from simply pouring public money into building and renovating properties. They are seeking to be more imaginative in the ways they finance social and affordable housing and have developed innovative community revitalisation initiatives that promote private investment and productive public/private partnerships.

"There may be much that we can learn from them that could be of benefit for Northern Ireland and they were also very keen to be briefed on the new Housing Agenda. Harlem is, after all, a severely segregated area and the Americans were keen to explore initiatives we have put in place towards a shared future."

During the visit to New York, Margaret Ritchie also met with Christine Quinn, New York City Speaker, and Laura Lazurus, Deputy Commissioner for Housing Development in New York City.

(JM)