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The Shared Neighbourhood Programme will create 30 shared housing schemes over the next three years.
Denis Rooney, Chairman of The International Fund for Ireland and Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie will today (Tuesday 19th August) officially launch a major new Programme to support and encourage shared neighbourhoods across Northern Ireland.
The Troubles have created a legacy of communities living separately. This Shared Neighbourhood Programme will assist more and more communities in their desire to live together.
Shared Future housing is a key plank in Margaret Ritchie’s New Housing Agenda and this Programme will support that.
The ‘Shared Neighbourhood Programme’ will be managed by the Housing Executive and will work with existing communities to develop 30 shared neighbourhoods over the next three years. The Programme will cost almost £1m with the International Fund for Ireland providing £698,000 of this.
The Programme will provide grants to enable community organisations to celebrate diversity and bring together people, from all backgrounds, who live in these areas. Training and practical on-the-ground support will be provided by the Housing Executive via a dedicated team of Cohesion Advisers.
Five housing areas across Northern Ireland have already committed to participating in the Programme - Springfarm in Antrim, Lissize in Rathfriland, Knockmore/Tonagh in Lisburn, Gortview/Killybrack Close in Omagh and Ballynafeigh in Belfast. It is anticipated that a further 25 areas will become involved in the next two years.
Welcoming the Programme, Seamus Davis, Chairman of Springfarm and District Community Association speaking on behalf of the five pilot communities said:
“We are proud to be leading the way in this uniquely pro-active Shared Neighbourhood Programme which recognises that community ownership is key in changing the norms and offering real choices for the future.
“The Programme recognises the expertise, leadership and good relations work that is already taking place within communities. Its aim to galvanise long term commitment from statutory and interagency partnerships will be crucial in supporting, securing and protecting Shared Neighbourhoods through a spirit of true partnership working. We look forward to working closely with the Housing Executive and the International Fund to deliver this exciting new Programme and we believe it will be a great success.”
Chairman of the International Fund for Ireland Denis Rooney said:
“Supporting and encouraging neighbourhoods where everyone in the community is valued and respected and where diversity is celebrated is fundamental to building lasting peace and a stable society in Northern Ireland.
“Good community relations is a major priority for the International Fund and we are pleased to have been able to work with the Housing Executive to develop this uniquely proactive approach to promoting shared neighbourhoods. The Shared Neighbourhood Programme acknowledges for the first time those communities who have been quietly working towards becoming genuinely shared spaces, often with little or no funding, and provides them with support to share their experiences, capture best practice and ensure that their work is sustained for future generations. Without the support of our international donors, the United States, the European Union, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, we could not continue to fund programmes such as the Shared Neighbourhood Programme.”
Welcoming the International Fund’s commitment to supporting shared housing, Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie MLA said:
“The time is right for this. The people of Northern Ireland want it. Eight out of ten people in the recent Life and Times survey highlighted that they would like to live in mixed areas.
“It is a very ambitious Programme and the key to it for me, is that it will be community led. When I launched my New Housing Agenda earlier this year, I made it clear that I wanted to provide housing that would bring people together, not keep them apart. This remains a central theme in all my endeavours for Housing and that is why I am delighted to help launch this Programme, starting the first of many schemes.”
In addition to grants to run cultural awareness and community events, participating communities will benefit from community relations training, community consultations and support to design their own Neighbourhood Charter and deliver their own Good Relations programme.
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