New funding deal must ease Strabane housing crisis - Stewart

A record finance deal for 1,600 new social homes in Northern Ireland must help to alleviate Strabane's housing crisis, SDLP council candidate Liam Stewart has said.

Speaking after it was revealed a finance package worth £180 million is to kick start the construction of some 1,600 social housing units in Northern Ireland, Mr Stewart said it is vital Strabane gets its fair share. Clanmil Housing Association has secured loans of £75m from Danske Bank and £45million from Barclay, of which £100m will be spent on the construction of new homes for some 5,000 people across the North.

The funding will also allow Clanmil to unlock £80m in statutory funding from the Department for Social Development. Mr Stewart said: "This is the biggest deal of its kind in Northern Ireland and it can have positive ramifications for those caught up in the housing crisis that is affecting 600 people in our district and almost 1300 across the West Tyrone constituency.”

“I would now be hopeful that with the help of this finance deal that sites can be acquired across the Strabane district for the construction of homes for those most in need on Strabane's ever-expanding waiting list."

Mr Stewart said the depth of the crisis in social housing in Strabane is alarming. He said: "A very large percentage of people who call into our Strabane office have presented with issues relating to housing stress, waiting times and long delayed necessary repairs to properties.”

“It is my view that many local people at their wits end who have been continually let down by the system with some concerned if they'll ever be housed. The most recently produced statistics make for alarming reading - an increase of 37% on the Strabane waiting list in the last 5 years.”

"With more than 660 people now on Strabane's waiting lists, we can make no mistake we are in the midst of a housing crisis of startling proportions. This finance package can help can ease the crisis locally across the Strabane district, will create local jobs and alleviate the pressure on private rentals.”