4,016 (71%) of Derry social applicants in housing stress but district has best record on social home completion

New figures released in response to an Assembly Question show that at the end of June of this year, 4,016 of 5,654 social housing applicants were in urgent housing need.

This was higher than any other district with the exception of Belfast.

In total 13 per cent of the 30,926 people in housing stress in the north were seeking a home in Derry and Strabane - a considerable over representation in terms of our population.

Housing stress is defined on the basis of any applicant with 30 or more points on the social housing selection system.

On a positive note substantially more social homes were built in the Foyle constituency in the past five years than elsewhere.

Between 2016/17 to 2020/21 1,335 social homes were completed in Derry.

The only other parliamentary constituency that came anywhere approaching this total was North Belfast (928).

Indeed the number of social home completions in Derry was 18 times the total built in West Tyrone (76) and 16 times the total completed in Upper Bann (85).

More social homes were completed in Derry in each of the single years 2016/17 to 2020/21 than were completed over the total five years in several of the other parliamentary constituencies.

Eighteen per cent of the 7,506 social homes completed across the whole of the north in those five years were built in Derry - once again a considerable over representation given our population.

Details of the social housing completions were released by Minister Hargey in response to an Assembly Question.

The housing stress figures released by the minister were provided by the Housing Executive and they refer to all housing applicants judged as having 30 or more housing points on the system.