VIEW magazine on community housing issues launched

VIEW magazine on community housing issues has been launched.  Housing expert Professor Paddy Gray was the guest editor of this edition which was supported by the Housing Executive ahead of the European Network of Housing Research conference in Belfast which will be attended by housing experts from across Europe in June.  VIEW magazine is published by VIEWdigital community media social enterprise and produced by Brian Pelan of MEDIA ASSOCIATES.

Among those who took part in the launch at Connswater Housing Association was Jennifer Hawthorne, the Housing Executive's Head of Communities who spoke about the NIHE's commitment to challenging Northern Ireland's segregated society.   Ms Hawthorne said that while 80% of people aspired to live in mixed neighbourhoods 90% of social housing areas remain segrated into predominantly single communities particularly in Belfast,  Derry and Craigavon. She said the new Community Cohesion Strategy launched in February demonstrated the Housing Executive's "commitment to challenging a segrated society and promotes an ethos of respect, equity and trust for everyone."

In this edition of VIEW Professor Siobhan O'Neill from Ulster University highlighted the importance of affordable and decent housing in efforts to stem the rise in the number of suicides in Northern Ireland.

She said: “Anything that helps to create meaningful lives for people who feel like their lives have no meaning is needed. It could be affordable decent housing that allows people to live in dignity.”

 Her comments followed the recent news that more people in Northern Ireland have taken their own lives than the number of lives lost through the Troubles.

 Northern Ireland continues to have the highest rate of suicide in the UK, per head of population, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).  The latest available figures show that during 2014 there were 16.5 suicides per 100,000 in Northern Ireland.  Scotland had the second highest rate, followed by England and Wales.

 VIEW editor Brian Pelan: “Our housing issue revealed that being able to afford a home is a huge priority. More social housing needs to be urgently built.”