Housing grants slashed by £1million
Madeleine Logan • Published 1 Jul 2010 16:00
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THE Housing Executive has slashed its grants funding by nearly £1 million in preparation for widespread Government spending cuts.
Area Manager Lorraine Campbell told Fermanagh Councillors this week that "difficult and painful" funding decisions were expected after the recent election.
The Executive has allocated £2.97 million for grants in Fermanagh this year. This is significantly lower than the £3.8 million spent on upgrading private homes deemed uninhabitable last year.
Ms Campbell said a cut in private grants was needed to protect Statutory Disabled Facilities Grants and Repair Grants.
There was also good news in the report.
Ms Campbell said the number of applicants in housing stress had decreased by 35 per cent during the past three years. There are now 360 applications on the housing waiting list. Last year 238 homes were granted to people on the list, up from the average of 199 per year.
Another 83 new social houses were expected to be completed by March, in addition to the 33 homes built last year.
"All of us understand the hardship experienced by families who are waiting for a home of their own. The Housing Executive's focus is to prioritise its resources on those in greatest need," Ms Campbell said.
The area manager also pledged to continue to provide its day-to-day maintenance service and invest more than £1.3 million to help disabled and older people live independently.
This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 01 Jul 10
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