Housing providers lead fight-back against Anti-Social Behaviour
Housing associations and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) are joining forces with the police, statutory and voluntary agencies to tackle the scourge of anti-social behaviour (ASB).
The Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations (NIFHA) is hosting an event on Wednesday 15 February 2012 to ensure all housing providers can learn from pioneering approaches to reduce ASB and replicate successful models across Northern Ireland.
Many of these approaches focus on early intervention, helping to build a socially inclusive community in which people feel safe and valued. For example, in West Belfast, the Colin Housing Providers ASB Forum [comprising Clanmil, Fold, Habinteg, Helm, Open Door and Ulidia housing associations, Colin Neighbourhood Partnership, the NIHE, PSNI and other local community groups] have created a model where relevant information on current ASB issues are aired and dealt with. The good communication aims to speedily resolve tenant and community issues and has assisted in defusing a number of community disputes.
At the event housing providers will hear from William Humphrey MLA, senior figures from the Department for Social Development (DSD), PSNI, NIHE and leading housing associations on practical approaches on working together to reduce ASB. Having jointly reflected on the effectiveness of different approaches, NIFHA will be developing a tool-kit to help housing providers throughout Northern Ireland implement effective strategies to minimise ASB.
Cameron Watt from NIFHA said:
"Everyone has the right to live in a decent and safe community, free from the fear and hassle caused by anti-social behaviour. Housing associations are effectively rising to the challenge of tackling ASB through close work with partners including the PSNI, elected representatives and the Housing Executive. Now is the time to draw together this expertise and develop new tools to help housing providers and their partners stamp-out ASB whenever and wherever it occurs."
Michael George of Colin Neighbourhood Partnership commented:
"Over the last four years we have successfully worked with all the main housing providers and the PSNI to promote better relationships within our community.
"By using the Colin Forum partnership model, we see neighbourhood disputes more effectively resolved and Anti-Social Behaviour decreasing.
"I am pleased to be able to share this success story with housing providers through NIFHA’s event."
Assembly Private Secretary to the DSD Minster, William Humphrey MLA, who is giving the keynote address at NIFHA’s event, commented:
"Public representatives are well aware of the problems anti-social behaviour causes in our communities. It is an issue that is raised with us very frequently and it is a scourge for many of our communities. It creates nuisance, blights lives and, in the worst cases, makes people feel unsafe in their own homes.
"There are many good examples of how housing associations and other agencies are acting to tackle anti-social behaviour, but more has to be done and more can be done.
"This event by NIFHA is a welcome chance to explore new ideas, learn from each other and find ways housing associations and statutory and voluntary sector agencies can work better together to tackle anti-social behaviour."
Ends
Further information
Contact Cameron Watt: 078 2798 3886
Notes for Editors
- During the period 2010-11 housing association: resolved 610 ASB cases, had 87 Notice of Seeking Possession (NSP) or Notice of Possession (NOP) and 16 cases of possession
- The event is being sponsored by DSD and delivered in partnership with NIHE.
- It will be held Wednesday 15 February 2012 at The Park Avenue Hotel, Belfast from 9.30am to 4pm.
- There are 31 registered housing associations in NI, all of which are members of NIFHA.
- Housing associations manage around 36,000 units of rented accommodation - over a quarter all social housing in NI – Source: NIHE
- In addition 21,000 households in NI have received assistance purchasing their own homes through Co-ownership Housing
- Since 1991/92, 6,639 additional homes were provided through private finance from Housing Associations – Source: DSD
- Collectively, Housing Associations have taken out over £626.2million of private finance to assist with social house building, in Northern Ireland since 1991
- In 2011 the NIFHA Tenant Satisfaction Survey found86% of tenants were satisfied/highly satisfied with the services provided by their housing associations. Some84% of tenants felt the rent charged represented good value for money and 90% of housing association tenants stated they were satisfied with their accommodation
