Housing Executive to invest almost £8.0 million in Ballymena Borough this year

Mr. O’Connor told Balymena Borough Council that, last year, the Housing Executive had spent £4.66 million on improving and maintaining Housing Executive homes in the borough; Invested £2.52million to assist vulnerable people through the Supporting People programme; Provided £0.46million for grant aid to improve housing conditions in the private sector; Invested £0.28million on adapting Housing Executive homes in the District; commenced adaptations to 43 tenants’ homes and provided 2,158 private sector tenants with Housing Benefit assistance, an increase of over 60% from 2008.

Spelling out the Housing Executive’s agenda in the Borough for the 2012/2013 year Mr. O’Connor commented: “The housing waiting list for Ballymena Borough has decreased slightly, from 846 applicants in housing stress in December 2010 to 839 in April 2012. Single person households dominate the waiting list, accounting for 43.5% of all applicants in housing stress. Last year we allocated 262 Housing Executive homes to waiting list applicants compared to 234 the previous year.”

Addressing the issue of new social housing, Mr. O’Connor continued: “In the past year a scheme for 16 units of general needs housing completed at Garvaghy Avenue, Portglenone. A second scheme for 48 new homes completed recently at Caherty Road Broughshane and 5 further schemes are on site in Ahoghill, Ballymena, Cullybackey and Kells which will deliver another 52 homes.”

He further revealed that the Social Housing Development Programme for 2012-2015 includes a further 7 schemes for 144 units of general needs housing and 2 schemes for 22 units of supported housing in Ballymena.

Mr. O’Connor also noted a decrease in homelessness in the area from 498 in March 2011 to 359 in March 2012. He pledged that the Housing Executive would continue to work hard to provide services to support those faced with homelessness in the borough.

he said: “The Homelessness Strategy 2012-2017 will aim to eliminate long term homelessness and rough sleeping across Northern Ireland by 2020.”

Providing support to enable people to live independently was also high on the Executive agenda, he said.

“This year we will invest around £2.61m to help the most vulnerable people in Ballymena Borough to continue to live independently. This is especially important for older people and people with disabilities. Existing funding delivers 26 supported housing accommodation based schemes and 3 floating support schemes in the District.”

Turning to maintenance issues, he continued: “Despite pressures on our funding the Housing Executive will continue to provide its day-to-day maintenance service. Housing Executive tenants in Ballymena Borough will see this service protected in line with their conditions of tenancy.

“This year’s work programme also includes heating replacement for 148 Ballymena homes, 124 of these in Ballee, planned external maintenance for 107 properties in Ballykeel 1 and Killane Park Ahoghill, and new kitchens for a further 196 tenants in Ballykeel 2. In addition, almost 400 homes are earmarked for double glazing in the Borough and 380 properties are included in a programme to replace smoke alarm heads. Four vacant Dunclug properties are scheduled for reinstatement and 13 scheduled for demolition at Doury Road.”