Where there is a will, there is a way
Housing is finally moving up the agenda in Northern Ireland. Recent months have seen it rightfully become a strategic priority for the Executive, and, with housing need growing daily, this focus is certainly timely, writes Carol McTaggart, CEO, Clanmil Housing.
In December 2024, the Executive launched a Housing Supply Strategy, providing a 15-year framework for the delivery of homes to meet Northern Ireland’s current and future needs. Two months later, in February 2025 they agreed a Programme for Government (PfG) setting out nine priorities for making a real difference to people’s lives. One of these is providing more social, affordable and sustainable housing, confirming what we in the housing sector have always known – a good home is vital for a good life.
At Clanmil our purpose is to provide homes for people to live well, because we know that quality homes and connected communities create safety, stability and opportunity. Like others in our sector, we build hundreds of new social homes each year, yet there are still more than 48,000 households on the waiting list across Northern Ireland.
We are all ambitious to do more and the Executive’s 5,850 target for new sustainable social homes by 2027 is very encouraging, especially as the PfG also prioritises investment in wastewater infrastructure to support house building as well as improvements to the planning system.
Of course, our ambition is not just about new homes. We are also keen to improve the homes we already have so that everyone can live in a warm, green, affordable to run home. The Executive’s commitment to retrofitting existing homes also aligns with our ambitions at Clanmil and we are eager to know more about the sustainable funding and partnership models mentioned in the PfG.
But we are realists. We know that delivery of the Executive’s priorities, and our own, depends on the availability of adequate funding. For our part, housing associations are continuing to borrow substantial private finance to stretch public funding. However, while the Executive’s desire to commit to long term funding for social homes is clearly stated in the PfG, disappointingly the Department for Communities, which is ultimately responsible for the new build programme, is already warning of a significant shortfall in its capital budget. This continued uncertainty around funding is a major barrier to delivery.
But as the saying goes, where there is a will, there is a way. The Housing Supply Strategy and the PfG, like our own strategic plan here at Clanmil, certainly show that there is a will to provide more good homes. And we are very much looking forward to working with all partners and stakeholders involved to find a way to deliver on the scale needed to make a real difference in people’s lives.
