07 September 2001
More than 10,000 households in urgent need are on the waiting list with Northern Ireland's strategic housing authority.
Last year 12,694 households were presented as homeless to the Housing Executive, a significant increase over the previous year's figure of 10,997.
Chief executive Paddy McIntyre said: 'We believe that the paramilitary feuds have been one of the reasons for this increase. Intimidation, ranging from neighbourhood intimidation to that arising from civil disturbance, accounted for approximately 15% of all those presenting to us as homeless.'
In all, some 22,054 households were on the waiting list at the end of the last financial year.
More than 17,000 of the executive's homes need major improvements and almost 10,000 are without full central heating. The cost of making the improvements is estimated at £340m – compared with the £42m spent on improvement work last year.
Northern Ireland's Department for Social Development provided an additional £20m to allow the Housing Executive to cope with urgent pressures, including the costs of disturbances in the Shankill area of Belfast. The report reveals that two members of staff were violently assaulted and many more were intimidated during the year.
Work began on building 1,076 new homes last year and another 1,786 homes are to be built in 2001/02. This year's building programme is being financed by £61m in housing association grant, plus £35m in private sector borrowing.
More than 5,500 homes were sold during the year, 25% more than the agency's performance target. This generated capital receipts of £107.6m, of which £48m was distributed to Northern Ireland government departments, with the balance kept by the executive for investment in housing stock.
The annual report marked the thirtieth anniversary of the creation of the Housing Executive to overcome discrimination against Catholics in the allocation of public sector homes. Since then, 80,000 new homes have been built and the number of homes unfit to live in has been cut from 19.6% to 7.3% of the total housing stock.
Between 1969 and 1975, 60,000 people were forced to leave their homes and 14,000 homes were destroyed by civil unrest.
PFsep2001
