Housing Executive to invest £14.57min Lisburn city

Representatives from the Executive set out their plans at the Council’s planning committee meeting on Monday night.

Stephen Graham, the South East area Manager, took members through figures and plans relating to housing in Lisburn. He explained that the waiting list for Lisburn City Council has decreased slightly, from 1,542 applicants in housing stress in December 2010 to 1,502 in April 2012. He said that single person households continue to dominate the waiting list.

He pointed out that during 2011/2012 479 Housing Executive homes were allocated to waiting list applicants compared to 528 allocations in the 12 months to December 2010.

“In the past year a total of 10 new homes were completed in Dunmurry and Lisburn,” he said.

The number of people accepted as homeless in Lisburn City Council area decreased from 862 in 2010/ 2011 to 814 in 2011/2012. Mr Graham said that the Housing Executive will continue to work hard to provide services to support those faced with homelessness in the area. “The new Homelessness Strategy 2012-2017 will aim to eliminate long term homelessness and rough sleeping across Northern Ireland by 2020,” he commented.

The Area Manager said the Housing Executive this year will invest £2.2m to help the most vulnerable people in Lisburn City Council to continue to live independently. “This is especially important for older people and people with disabilities. Existing funding delivers 42 supported housing accommodation based schemes in the City Council area,” he explained.

Mmembers were told that despite pressures on funding the Executive will continue to provide its day-to-day maintenance service. Housing Executive tenants in Lisburn City Council will see this service protected in line with their conditions of tenancy. This year’s work programme includes new heating systems for 286 homes, external maintenance for 888 homes, double glazing for 522 homes, smoke alarm replacements in 415 homes and kitchen replacement in 44 homes.

In Lisburn City Council in the year to March 2012, 393 private sector homes were insulated, eight had heating installed, and a further 35 had both insulation and heating installed through the Warm Homes Scheme.

“We have allocated £0.87m for private sector grants for the Lisburn City Council this year,” said Mr Graham.

“The Housing Community Network, local community and residents groups are doing valuable work reviewing and improving housing services for local people. Members of staff are working diligently with residents and other agencies to promote and encourage safer, settled and inclusive housing areas within Lisburn City Council. The BRIC Programme and Safer Communities Programme will be important drivers for this work.”

“Our Lisburn Offices, under the management of Owen Brady and Philip O’Flaherty, continue to provide dedicated housing services to the Lisburn City Council. District Office staff are ably assisted by the Customer Services Unit, Accounts and Housing Benefit Units,” concluded Mr Graham.

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