by Gareth Cross
People in Derry are being told to lie in order to secure social housing, it emerged at a meeting this week.
The Department for Communities hosted a public consultation on proposed changes to social housing allocation at the City Hotel on Monday.
At the meeting a member of the public claimed that he had been told by a local politician to lie in order to give himself the best chance of securing a house.
Peter McCafferty, a retired RE teacher told the meeting that he had decided not to lie, but that many decent people were being forced to in order to be allocated a home.
A number of local politicians, community workers and members of the public attended the meeting to give their views.
Among the proposals is a change to the way the Housing Executive (HE) allocates points to people who claim they have been intimidated in their area.
The HE currently allocates points to people based on the situation they are in. The more points people have the more likely they are to be allocated a home. 200 points are currently awarded to people who have been victims of housing intimidation.
Plans also include the removal of 20 points awarded to people who are in temporary accommodation and offering people homes from a wider selection of areas.
There are also proposals to give priority to people who have been on a waiting list for a longer period of time when allocating housing.
Around 40,000 people are currently on housing waiting lists across Northern Ireland.
Proposals also include the power not to offer homes to people who are involved in anti-social behaviour until the behaviour has stopped.
The department also proposes establishing an independent housing advice service for Northern Ireland.
Milking the system
At the meeting Mr McCafferty shared his experience of dealing with the social housing system as someone with a disability.
He said that he was provided with very little information from the Housing Executive throughout the process.
"They were very ill informed about the properties available and new properties being built in the area," he said.
"Single people and the disabled are the most vulnerable, their voices are not heard. Every other group is catered for.
"Disabled people still struggle to get points."
He said that some people were manipulating the existing system to get points.
"People in this town are milking the system to get points for intimidation," said Mr McCafferty.
"200 points is too much, the system doesn't cater for people with complex medical needs.
"The system also doesn't cater for people who are living with their parents. Are people expected to turf their children on the street to get a house?"
Honest
Mr McCafferty said that he had been encouraged to lie in order to secure a home.
"I was stuck on the waiting list and asked for advice from a councillor and was told that unless I said I was living in an overcrowded home or dealing with violence I was unlikely to be successful.
"I'm a very honest person, I was an RE teacher all my life and stayed honest on this.
"I don't condemn anyone who is forced into that situation, that's the plight people are faced with.
"When councillors say the only advice they can give you is to lie, I couldn't believe it."
He also noted how long it takes to get Occupational Therapists to come and assess people's home needs.
Mr McCafferty said he was forced to spend his own money to have a shower installed in his home rather than wait 10 months.
Isolation
Sinn Fein councillor Tony Hassan also spoke at the meeting and said he was aware of one person being in temporary housing for over eight years.
He said that he didn't think intimidation points should be done away with as "there is intimidation in this country and we have to accept it."
Independent councillor Darren O'Reilly said he would view plans to widen the areas offered to people with 'great trepidation' as people cold be offered homes in unsuitable areas where they could become 'socially isolated'.
Joanne Leonard from the Simon Community raised the issue of people who were not ready for homes being repeatedly offered new houses while others missed out.
"Some people are offered three to four properties in a year and simply can't handle it, while others get no offers," she said.
"They should look at the system to give fairness to those who could handle a tenancy."
Abuse
Speaking after the meeting SDLP councillor Shauna Cusack called on those in or waiting on social housing to participate in the consultation.
"Dealing with housing issues daily, I can understand and appreciate that this system is not working for everyone and sometimes open to abuse," she said.
"It is frustrating to see individuals with either disabilities or in certain circumstances which make their need great but have no point value.
"The Department has recognised that the time has come to look into the system to see where improvements can be made in order to be as fair and balanced as possible and that those in greatest housing need receive priority with recognition of their time in need."
The consultation will end on the 21st December 2017 and the public can share their views at www.communities-ni.gov.uk/allocations-review
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