Antrim and Newtownabbey: over 3,400 people on Housing Executive's waiting list, council told
There were 3,434 applicants on the Housing Executive’s waiting list in Antrim and Newtownabbey on March 31, councillors have been told.
A presentation to the council at a meeting in Mossley Mill showed 2,674 people are “in housing stress”, 86 per cent of which are single, older persons and small family households.
Councillors heard 1,377 people presented as homeless during 2023/24. A total of 443 hundred homes were allocated to waiting list applicants. Of the 59,457 households in Antrim and Newtownabbey, 6,195 are social homes.
In her presentation, Grainia Long, chief executive, of the Housing Executive, said: “Last year, there was continued investment in new-build homes in the borough, with 302 housing association units on-site at March 2024 and 90 housing completions for the year.”
During the 2023/24 financial year, the sum of £4.1m was invested in new social housing stock. The Housing Executive says that 1,229 new social housing units are needed in the borough during the next five years.
The chief executive said: “There is a good healthy programme of social housing. It is really important to see it continuing. We need to ensure there is a healthy pipeline of land coming forward.”
However, she went to say despite exceeding a five-year target locally, there is still a “really significant level of housing need” and “not enough social housing coming forward”. The chief executive also reported “unprecedented demand” for temporary accommodation.
Temporary Accommodation
She indicated that 701 people were placed in temporary accommodation during the past year with 234 allocations in hotels and bed and breakfast establishments.
Dunsilly Ulster Unionist Councillor Stewart Wilson asked about the future of the Housing Executive’s emergency out-of-hours service, which he described, as a “very valuable safety net for people who are vulnerable”.
The chief executive said that the Housing Executive has made “a strong case to the Department”.
“We are spending too much on temporary accommodation and not nearly enough on prevention. We are responding to demand and demand is continuing to increase,” she stated.
“We must place people who are statutory homeless in temporary accommodation until we find them a secure tenancy. We have worked hard to ensure it is high quality temporary accommodation.”
She noted there has been an increase in the level of complexity and mental ill health involved with homelessness. Councillors also heard Housing Executive investment has increased in Antrim and Newtownabbey over the past year, from £39.38m in 2023 to £57m in 2024.
Investment in Housing Executive properties through planned maintenance and stock improvements increased from £3.8m in 2023 to £6.7m during 2024 and a further increase is planned for 2025, with a proposed spend of £15.6m for maintenance and stock improvements across the borough.
Spending on response maintenance in Antrim and Newtownabbey has also risen, with an £11m financial injection, compared to £9.6m in the previous year. In the year ahead, this figure is expected to rise to £12.8m. The sum of £1.48m will be spent on grounds maintenance, £900k will be spent on home adaptations for disabled tenants.
“We will continue to keep our response maintenance high,” the chief executive said. She indicated the Housing Executive’s newest stock is 26-years-old.
Threemilewater DUP Alderman Stephen Ross asked about the ‘Warmer Homes’ scheme and boiler replacement. The Housing Executive spent £1.2m on ‘Affordable Warmth’ and boiler replacement in Antrim and Newtownabbey during 2023/24.
The organisation says there is a reduced budget this year for the Affordable Warmth scheme which supports fuel poverty experienced by households in the private sector. It is proposed £650k will be spent on Affordable Warmth in Antrim and Newtownabbey during 2024/25.
Macedon Ulster Councillor Robert Foster asked about issues with contractors. He inquired if they will be “held to account for response times” and how they would be “kept in check”.
The Housing Executive has admitted “challenges with the delivery of planned and response maintenance including major adaptations”. The chief executive said the Housing Executive was “not adverse to taking legal procedures with contractors”.
Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter