NIFHA Press Room
NIFHA responds to Minister Wilson’s statement
Tuesday 12 January 2010
The Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations (NIFHA) welcomes the recognition, by the Northern Ireland Executive, that the credit crunch and recession require re-prioritisation of the budget. We have been making this point for more than a year.As the NI Executive’s top priority is growing the economy, we believe the Executive should ensure continued investment in social housing. It is acknowledged that investment in social housing construction can make a considerable contribution to boosting our economy.
The Chief Executive, Chris Williamson, commented:
“By investing in social housing construction we can create and sustain jobs in Northern Ireland. The initial focus would be in construction but economists confirm that the knock on effect in other areas such as retail would be substantial.
“Shortly after taking up his post Minister Wilson assured NIFHA representatives of the NI Executive’s commitment to delivering 10,000 social and affordable housing units by 2013. During the consultation process we will lobby our elected representatives to ensure it remains the case.”
Ends
For further information
Chris Williamson, Chief Executive, NIFHA
M: 078 6646 6119 T: 028 9023 0446 (w) E: cwilliamson@nifha.org
