Housing Need in North Belfast

Speech by David Ford delivered to Assembly, 25 February 2008 on Mon 25th Feb 2008

The level of demand for social housing in North Belfast is so large that it is not an issue that solely relates to the current boundaries of that constituency. Much of the rapid population growth, which has expanded into the constituency of South Antrim, is driven by the inability of people from North Belfast to secure housing in the area where they want to live. Many who have moved to my constituency are relatively well off; others are left trapped in the city, because they are unable to afford what is on offer. As Nelson McCausland highlighted earlier, some people, having sampled the delights of Newtownabbey and points beyond, are now moving back into the city. That may be an issue for Translink to address.

In the midst of a debate dominated by statistics and figures - and we have heard a number of them already - we should not forget the human cost of the social housing crisis that exists in an acute way in North Belfast, compared to other regions. The consequences of overcrowded and inadequate housing - or even a complete lack of housing - include disruption to children's education, poor physical and mental health, stress on family relationships and difficulties in employ­ment. The housing crisis has a direct and perceptible impact on the poor socio-economic conditions endured by many people in North Belfast, and those issues are too real to be reduced to bare statistics.

Some of the factors that feed into the housing crisis are not unique to North Belfast. A frenzied property market has left people unable to afford private-sector rents, and even more unable to afford to purchase a home. Many young people, even those who traditionally would have been able to access housing in the private sector now cannot do so, with the result that social housing is overwhelmed at a time when there has never been less availability. With relatively low wages and a traditionally high level of social housing, North Belfast has been impacted by those fractures particularly strongly.

One cluster of issues affects the housing market in North Belfast more deeply than in any other area: sectarianism, segregation and intimidation. Members from both sides of the House have already indicated the degree of imbalance in need in North Belfast. However, it must be remembered that the suffering of a family in housing need is the same, regardless of what their community background may be. The single biggest reason for that imbalance is that too many areas in North Belfast have become the exclusive preserve of one section of the community or another. The type of healthy, gradual change in communities that would have taken place without that division has been arrested.

Nigel Dodds has already said that different types of housing need exist in different areas across the constit­uency so that, today, there is a situation whereby Catholic areas are drastically overcrowded and Protestant areas suffer from decay.

The only solution to the problem in the long term is to get away from the concept of Catholic and Protestant areas altogether. Before I am accused of naivety, I must add that that cannot be achieved overnight or be achieved easily. Tackling the legacy of division in North Belfast is a project that will probably take a generation, but that is absolutely no reason not to start. Churches may be built for Catholics or Protestants, but houses should be built for people.

The allocation of housing on the basis of need - and only on the basis of need - was one of the key demands of the civil rights movement. It is a sign of how things have moved over the last four decades that it can now be seen as politically acceptable to some to allocate housing, in part, on the basis of community background. To allow such divisions to trap families in appalling physical circumstances is a terrible indict­ment of our society, and it is not acceptable to the Alliance Party.

Mr A Maginness: Will the Member agree that, not only is it necessary to have good housing development, but that that housing development must be of a high quality to meet the real needs of the people? Will he agree that the type of development that took place at the former site of the Milk Marketing Board was the result of sustained representation by local people, and me, as a local representative, to get high-quality housing for working people?

Mr Ford: I cannot go into the minutiae of North Belfast, but I agree with the Member's fundamental point: it is essential to provide good-quality housing for everyone in the community, whatever section of society that they come from. Allocation purely on the basis of need would be the only acceptable mechanism in any other country. I make no apology for saying that it must be the basis here.

The golden opportunity for kick-starting change that is presented by the Girdwood site has already been highlighted. Earlier today, the Minister said that she remained absolutely committed to social housing on a shared, equal basis on the site, and I agree. Although Gerry Kelly and Nigel Dodds pointed out the difficulties, there is a clear need to use Girdwood as a demonstration of what can be achieved. North Belfast desperately needs good-quality social housing to be an important part of the mix at the Girdwood site. Families who are in housing stress desperately need good homes, and North Belfast needs an end to segregation and intimidation. It needs practical steps towards a shared future, and that must be shown in other areas of North Belfast.

The Minister highlighted areas in which she hopes to make progress on shared housing. I hope that when she next answers a question in the Assembly, she will be able to announce that a part of North Belfast is also on the list for such a scheme.

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