We’re facing the future

NIFHA welcomed the opportunity to respond to this consultation and considers the following to be the most important in ensuring our members can fulfil their vital role in delivering the Strategy:

• To deliver the Programme for Government target of 8,000 new social and affordable homes, our sector urgently needs the introduction of a genuine multi-year programme with definitive funding and grant levels, including confirmation of current grant rates to 2015;
• Housing associations are keen and ready to deliver a broader range of affordable and other housing options, and await confirmation of interest-free loan funding from the Get Britain Building scheme to facilitate this;
• A more collaborative and consistent commissioning approach is needed for supported housing that commits all partners to provide and maintain housing in the community for people with complex needs, including guaranteed revenue funding;
• Supporting People and other vital funding streams must be protected to ensure vulnerable people can live with as much independence and dignity as possible;
• Whilst allocating primarily on the basis of need should remain at the core of any reformed social housing allocations system, a different approach to measuring need and allocating homes may be required to support more mixed and sustainable communities;
• With funding to develop new employment and training initiatives, and some changes to the way the sector is regulated, our sector can assume a significant role in tackling worklessness;
• To mitigate the severe impacts of welfare reform on tenants, the budget for discretionary housing payments (DHPs) will have to be significantly increased and extended, along with budgets for debt advice and other financial inclusion services; and
• We should be moving towards independent, proportionate, risk-based and outcome-focused regulation for housing associations; perhaps based on the principles of co-regulation.
• NIFHA is committed to working with our members, DSD, our members’ tenants and our key partners to help build safe, sustainable communities in Northern Ireland.

To read our response in full click on http://bit.ly/ResponsetoHousingStrategy_Dec12

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