The number of people living in Derry who have been made homeless as a result of intimidation is at its highest since records began, it has been revealed.
In the past ten years the number of people intimidated from their homes in the city has quadrupled.
Last year, 38 households presented as homeless to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) offices in city after falling victim to intimidation.
Figures obtained by Derry News following a Freedom of Information request to NIHE show the number of intimidation cases from 2003/04 period to 2015/16.
The statistics were gathered from people reporting to the NIHE’s Derry offices at Collon Terrace, Waterloo Place and the Waterside.
Figures issued are based on a financial year spanning April 1 – March 31.
They reveal that in the past year, 2015/16, more people were made homeless in the Derry City area due to intimidation than any other year on record.
In 2005/06 there were just eight cases of homelessness due to intimidation, and it remained in single figures for a number of years before rising to 17 in 2009/10 and consistently sat in the mid-twenties thereafter.
Last year households presenting as homeless following incidents of intimidation reached an all-time high of 38 cases.
Since 2012 the Housing Executive has broken down cases into a number of categories; paramilitary and sectarian, with racial, sexual orientation, anti-social behaviour and disability listed as other forms of intimidation.
Chief amongst those categories tends to be paramilitary, which is cited most often as the type of intimidation causing people to fear for their safety and that of their family/housemates.
Intimidation of a sectarian nature also features highly with complainants.
Anti-social behaviour and sexual orientation appear on an irregular basis.
Only a small number of racially motivated incidents were reported to the Housing Executive in Derry.
And last year, out of the 38 households reporting to NIHE, none mentioned race as a factor.
A spokeswoman for the Housing Executive said: "We have a statutory duty to provide housing for people who find themselves in this situation and this does provide further pressures on limited resources and social housing.
“Those presenting will come from all tenures and the Housing Executive has a statutory duty to seek to re-house full duty applicants.
“The Housing Executive has had to directly deal with the consequences of community conflict in Northern Ireland since it was created in 1971.
“It is obviously very concerning that many families are still coming to us for help because they feel insecure in their own homes.
"We cannot provide information regarding the origin of paramilitary threats as this is not recorded.”
PSNI Chief Inspector Alan Hutton said police took the issue of intimidation, in whatever form, very seriously and that they worked with partner agencies and local residents to tackle the issue.
He said: “Indeed, we would urge anyone who has been a victim of intimidation to contact us so that we can take steps to apprehend those responsible."
Over the last ten years, the PSNI said it had witnessed an increase in confidence from the community in reporting such incidents to police and the emergence of community groups, who refer incidents to them.
CI Hutton added: “It is reprehensible that someone should be forced to leave their home because they feel intimidated and while we continue to investigate all reports made to us there is also a role for the wider community to isolate those who are behind these threats.”
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