Over 50 households in Derry were waiting over a decade to transfer to a more suitable social home at the end of March this year, it has been revealed.

Foyle MLA Mark H. Durkan described the situation as ‘scandalous’.

"These figures are deeply concerning but, sadly, they’ll come as no surprise to anyone waiting for a social home. They are yet another example of the Executive's failure to get to grips with the housing emergency.

"In Foyle alone, hundreds of households are waiting years to move into homes that better meet their needs, with dozens waiting more than a decade.

"That is scandalous. Behind every one of these statistics is a person or family whose life has effectively been put on hold and unable to plan for their future,” said the SDLP MLA.

Mr. Durkan was speaking after housing minister Gordon Lyons released figures showing hundreds of transfer applicant households in Foyle were on the waiting list as of March 31, 2026.

According to the data 746 households were waiting for more than a year; 398 were waiting more than three years; 204 were waiting more than give years; and 56 were on the transfer list for longer than a decade.

Releasing the information, the Department for Communities pointed out that ‘households recorded in the longer waiting categories (e.g. over 3, 5 or 10 years) are also included within the shorter waiting bands (e.g. over 1 year)’.

As such the totals should ‘not be summed across categories, as this would result in double counting’.

Mr. Durkan spoke of the human toll of long social housing waiting lists in Derry.

"In my constituency office, I bear witness every day to the devastating human consequences of people forced to live in homes which don’t suit their needs.

"I meet constituents with profound disabilities who are confined to downstairs rooms because they can’t access the upper floor of their home, sleeping on sofas or unable to wash safely.

"Others are forced to make the painful journey up and down stairs on their hands and knees simply to use the bathroom. Families are raising children in overcrowded homes where there simply isn't enough space to live with dignity.

"All the while, people’s physical and mental health deteriorates while they wait for suitable, accessible accommodation. The longer these delays continue, the greater the impact on wellbeing and independence,” said the SDLP MLA.

He called for housing to be treated as an urgent priority, arguing that a moratorium on the House Sales Scheme should be put in place and that funding for the Social Housing Development Programme should be enhanced.

DfC’s most recent housing bulletin in May showed that social housing waiting lists in the North now stand at 50,381 households.

The local government districts with the highest number of applicants were Belfast (14,196) and Derry City and Strabane (6,556).

"People deserve the security and dignity of a home that meets their needs. And they shouldn’t have to wait years or even decades, for that basic right,” said Mr. Durkan.