Shaun Harkin calls for social housing building to be ramped up with almost 6,000 applicants on list

The Foyleside councillor was speaking after the first meeting of Derry City & Strabane District Council's newly formed Housing Crisis Taskforce last week.

“The lack of social and affordable housing is the result of a multi-decade government failure and sits at the centre of rising social inequality.

"There are currently 50,000 applicants on the housing waiting list. The Derry City and Strabane District Council area has almost 6000 applications, the highest per capita across the North.

"Only 1503 social homes were built in the DCSDC area over the last 5 years.

"Last year, a paltry 1956 social homes were built across the North,” said Colr. Harkin.

Families, declared Colr. Harkin, are desperate for a home with private rental costs ‘soaring, up more than 10 per cent this year already’.

"The Housing Executive is under tremendous pressure to find accommodation for rising numbers of families and individuals being made homeless through no fault of their own.

"The Stormont Executive remains wedded to a failed 'privatisation of everything model' that has wreaked havoc on our public services, including the Housing Executive,” said Colr. Harkin.

The People Before Profit representative called for public demonstrations for an accelerated construction programme.

"We need to put feet on the street to demand a mass social housing build in Derry and across the North,” he said.

Housing Crisis Taskforce for Derry & Strabane as almost 6,000 applicants on social housing waiting list