Investment of £63m in Derry to address rising waiting list figures

PICTURED ABOVE: From left to right, Jason Hardy, Head of Development; Peter O’Reilly, Head of IT; Katrina Smyth, Director of Development; Paula Ewart, Interim Executive; Ruth Mulholland, Head of HR; Judith McNamee, Head of Housing; Derek Johnston, Director of Finance and Corporate Services.

Woven Housing Association has announced that it aims to invest over £63m across the North West as part of a wider £150m boost into new developments, stock upgrades and enhanced housing services over the next five years to help address the growing need for more homes across Northern Ireland.

Woven, formerly known as Habinteg Housing Association, currently provides over 2,500 homes across a range of housing solutions including supported, sheltered, and general needs housing.

This investment will see Woven help to address the rising waiting list figures by building 388 homes across the North West as well as improving the quality of their current homes and services.

There is an urgent need to deliver more homes right across Northern Ireland, recent investments by Woven such as the £23.6m investment into Beechmount Village in Strabane and £14.6m into Duke Street and Spencer Road in Derry will together provide 248 high quality homes, which highlights Woven’s commitment to reducing the housing need and helping to bring people together and create thriving communities.

Neil McIvor, Chair at Woven, said: “We’re committed to playing our part in helping to meet the unmet housing needs across Northern Ireland and our recent investments are reflective of this.

“Over the next five years we aim to strengthen this commitment and provide more housing solutions across the region.

“The £150m includes vital grant funding from the Department for Communities. It enables us to invest in our homes and services and keep a stream of developments in the pipeline.

“It ensures that we can provide a range of housing solutions in each area to meet the needs of the widest possible range of tenants and create diverse environments to help communities thrive.”

Habinteg Housing Association rebranded to become Woven earlier this month. With a new name and visual identity Woven will continue to explore further development opportunities across Northern Ireland to address the growing demand for social housing and are committed to providing accessible, affordable, and inclusive homes.