perspective on social housing

Magazine of the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations

Northern Ireland Federation of Housing AssociationsNorthern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations

www.nifha.orgIssue 3 - Autumn/Winter

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Contents

(028) 9070 2020

MAKINGA DIFFERENCE

Front cover: Strand Foyer, Londonderry North & West Housing Association

It is my privilege, as one of the firstduties as Chairman of NIFHA, towrite this foreword for the latestedition of our redesigned POSHmagazine.

As I look back on my early days inthe voluntary housing movement –1979 was my introductory year – Iam indeed honoured to be added tothe list of those who haverepresented our movement inprevious years with such skill anddedication.

Looking forward I hesitate in usingthat well worked cliché that one ofthe constants in life is change. Yetas I begin this term in office perhapsone of the most important andpotentially far reaching agenda inrecent years has been set before usin Government’s drive forefficiencies and savings. Whilst thisis a commendable intention it mustnot be allowed to create a publicperception of a movement whichhas in any way failed to deliver onthe value for money agenda. Onthe contrary I believe that thediversity of the movement and itsclose links through volunteers withinour communities has delivered anadded value that is difficult toquantify in fiscal terms.

Working efficiently and effectively isnot a new concept to our sector.From the very early days throughthe NIFHA insurance scheme to the

more recent collaborative workingenabling members to deliver theirstatutory equality obligations, thehousing association movement hasdemonstrated its ability to establishand deliver on the value addedagenda.

However, we must rise to the call todeliver our products by embracingnew technologies, by collaborativepartnering and by taking advantageof new procurement opportunities.This can in no way be at theexpense of those we seek to serve,our tenants and service users, whomust remain central to the deliveryand at the very heart of ourbusiness activities.

A key role for NIFHA will be to seekout ways to allow all of ourmembers, both large and small, todeliver on these new standards andto continue to champion thebenefits of a diverse sector.

I believe that part of the successattributable to the sector is thestrong representative role whichNIFHA has played on behalf of itsmembers. However, our structuresare being stretched by the manyopportunities and challenges thatwe are facing. In recent years newcommittees and forums have beencreated, largely reacting to thedemands of the day. During myfirst year I hope that we will be ableto take stock and review the statusquo. Part of this review is wellunderway with a review of thegrant-in-aid submitted to theDepartment for Social Development.With whatever resources that areavailable, however, we mustmaintain a structure to ensurerepresentation for all our membersin an appropriate and effective way.

Your comments and views will asalways be very welcome, indeedessential, to deliver the best possibleoutcomes.

I look forward to working with youover the next year and trust you willfind this latest edition of POSH bothbeneficial and thought provoking.

ARTHUR CANNINGCHAIRMAN

CHAIRMAN’SFOREWORD

NIFHA’S NEW TEAM – FRANK DUNNE(VICE CHAIRMAN), ARTHUR CANNING(CHAIRMAN) AND CHRIS WILLIAMSON(CHIEF EXECUTIVE).

AFFORDABILITY IN THEHOUSING MARKET ......P3

NEWINGTON ..P4

SHAC ............P.5

FOLD ............P.5

CLANMIL ......P.6

OPEN DOOR ..P.7

BLOWING OUROWN TRUMPETSUCCESSES IN HOUSING

................8-10

ICT CONSORTIUM....P10

A-Z OF HOUSINGASSOCIATIONS ..P11

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Affordability issues in housing areaffecting us all in some way: ineconomic and societal terms, and at anindividual level in terms of our ability toget ourselves and our children onto theproperty ladder.

Would-be home owners sometimes talkabout affordability as a closed door. Ienvisage an ever-revolving door where ittakes two keys and good timing tomake it through. The door keepsspinning and, unless both keys are putin place at the right time, we emergefrom the doorway only to find ourselvesback where we started - out on thestreet.

The set of keys needed for access tohome ownership are (1) Sufficient properties for first

time buyers’ purchasing in placeswhere they need to live, and

(2) Appropriate financial solutionsfor buyers with limited incomepotential.

The familiar image ofJanus comes to mind, inRoman mythology the godof doorways and newbeginnings. Janus wastypically representedholding a key and withtwo faces to show thatmovement and change canbe in many directions.

This image often featured at the mostimportant beginnings in the life of anindividual, such as birth and marriage …the very beginnings that often trigger aneed to create a real home and firmerfoundation for the future.

ACCESS TO PROPERTY

We are now a society of home owners;the various benefits associated with theownership of housing assets underpinour economic and social framework. Asa result, affordable homes coming ontothe market are of interest to a variety ofwould-be buyers, as well as the firsttimers.

Valiant efforts have beenmade by the players inthe affordable housingteam to meet the needsof first time buyers andsecure an increasedsupply of homes theycan afford. Governmenthas revisited planningpolicy and increasedfunding for Co-Ownership, public andprivate sector developersare building, lenders areintroducing newmortgage products.

At the same time, with property pricescontinuing to rise strongly across theboard investors have been attractedaway from the stock market and intobricks and mortar, gaining an automaticreturn thanks to rising values apart fromany income that might be expectedfrom actually housing someone in the

property. Responding to this,and to encourage the use ofnew homes as dwellings,developers’ sales contracts arenow increasingly featuringclauses where the buyerundertakes that the propertywill be occupied.

The buy-to-let market has alsobeen particularly buoyant, as it

has been flexible enough to meet avariety of housing needs. Take twoquite different scenarios: first timebuyers who might have lost out in thecompetition for a starter property oftheir own then turn to renting thesesame properties; while social housingtenants on Housing Benefit and wantingto relocate might take advantage of theopportunity to move across. Bothscenarios to some degree may mask theextent of the current affordabilityproblem.

ACCESS TO FINANCE

Competition in a shrinking first timebuyer market has encouraged lenders toreassess the needs of would-be buyers

and diversify their product ranges,while recent regulation of mortgageadvice has reduced intermediaries’potential for flexibility in obtainingtailored finance for clients. Traditionalmortgage multiples are commonlyreplaced by sophisticated affordabilitymeasures, emphasising a buyer’s abilityto repay rather than ability to borrow. Inother words, lenders are being seen toacknowledge societal change such asthe prevalence of personal credit,multiple sources of income (both socialpayments and earned) and multipleborrowings as part of the typical profilefor today’s would-be home buyer.Providers of social housing can afford todo no less.

There are implications in turn for lowcost home ownership initiatives. As thedoor keeps revolving, some people findthey can now aspire to social housingsupport and enter in while others, whopreviously had no other recourse, find anew commercial alternative. Overall, anaffordability gap is always going to bethere; yet the needs of the individualstrying to bridge that gap will vary inresponse to market forces.

In developing our policy frameworksto tackle affordability we musttherefore think commercially andequip ourselves with timely optionsthat enable real-world access for ourchanging real-world clients.

AFFORDABILITY IN THE NORTHERNIRELAND HOUSING MARKETA CLOSED DOOR?

Alan CroweChief Executive Co-Ownership Housing

As this magazine demonstratesHousing Associations deliver a rangeof services that make a tangibledifference to individuals. Developingand managing high quality familyhousing for the social rented marketis only one aspect of these services.

From assisting home buyers topurchase their first home as Co-Ownership does to providingsheltered or supportedaccommodation for those whocannot manage on their own likeClanmil, Open Door or Newington,NIFHA’s members make a positive

contribution to our community. Inaddition, many of these activitiesalso meet key government agenda. Many associations also offer valueadded services, some of which areexplained in greater detail over thenext few pages.

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MAKING A DIFFERENCE

On 6th September 2005 NewingtonHousing Association (NHA) hosted a30th Anniversary Dinner at BelfastCastle to mark three decades ofserving their community. The eventenabled the voluntary CommitteeMembers to publicly celebrate thework completed to date and to sharethe vision they have for the future.It also offered NHA members anideal opportunity to thank the manyfriends and colleagues who havebeen instrumental in helping themdeliver their objectives and goals.These included the DSD, NIHE,NIHFA, Residents’ Groups, Staff pastand present.

It was a shared vision of lifting thesocial malaise of their area thatbrought together a group of like-minded people in the early 70’s tocreate the genesis of what becameNewington Housing Association1975 Ltd. The voluntary housingmovement in Northern Ireland was inits infancy at that time and byforming an organised and charteredshareholding group to set up acommunity based housingassociation, the group could begin totackle the problems. At that stageNewington had become a Housing

Action Area so the newassociation was able tomake a real differencethrough grants and longterms loans from the thenDepartment of theEnvironment.

Since then, much haschanged and yet nothinghas changed! TheAssociation has grownand has stock outside ofthe immediate Newingtonarea, managing almost400 properties. Newington now re-houses some of the most vulnerablein the city in accommodation built tothe highest social housing designstandards. Nevertheless, theassociation recognises that much stillremains to be done. Waiting lists inmany areas of North Belfast remainvery large but the supply ofaccommodation does not yet matchdemand.

Like other community-based housingassociations Newington is mindful ofcurrent challenges for example:• remaining an independent yet

effective entity in what is now ahighly regulated sector

• government emphasis on value formoney and on obtaining more orbetter services for the investmentfrom the public purse

• the new regulatory framework • meeting the requirements for

development

Difficult choices may lie ahead forsmaller housing associations such asNewington, however thirty years ofexperience have shown that theyhave the ability to meet a range ofchallenges and deliver high qualityservices. The association has a

positive attitude to the future and iskeen to maintain and expand its roleworking within and for the localcommunity.Newington Housing Association stillhas a clear vision for North Belfast.It aims to play a leading part in theprocurement of much needed socialhousing over the coming years. As apartner in the North Belfast Strategy,particular objectives include theredevelopment of The Glen andParkside areas of the upperLimestone Road and having aprominent role in the regeneration ofthe former army site at Girdwood.Both Committee Members and staffstill relate to the vision of theircolleagues from the early 1970s.Indeed one or two of thoseindividuals are still involved,motivated by the same reasons thatoriginally prompted their participation.As the pictures show, the associationcontinues to work towards reducingdeprivation and providing the decentaffordable homes that are often thekey to addressing so many socialconcerns of vulnerable families in oursociety. For Newington it is verymuch a case of ‘30 years on and stillgoing strong’!

THIRTY SOMETHING - NEWINGTONHOUSING ASSOCIATION

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This is very much a news story inGreat Britain and in the Republic ofIreland, but not so much is said aboutAsylum Seekers in Northern Ireland.There are only a very small number ofasylum seekers being supported inNorthern Ireland; typically less than100. Most are housed and supportedin Belfast as this iswhere the supportservices are, but afew are living inother areas.

Most AsylumSeekers areaccommodatedthrough a supportservice managed byNI HousingExecutive, with“wrap-around”services provided by NICEM (NICouncil for Ethnic Minorities).Although NIHE manage this service aspart of their role in homelessness, theyare prohibited in law from actuallyhousing asylum seekers themselves, sothis is sub-contracted.

A local Belfast hostel providesemergency full board accommodationfor new arrivals until their cases areregistered. Then the asylum seekersare moved on either to SHACaccommodation or to private sectoraccommodation. Because Asylumseekers arrive in Northern Ireland withnothing, the specification for theiraccommodation is high; fullyfurnished including all domesticnecessities.

SHAC was selected because they haveexperience of providing furnishedtemporary accommodation and havestaff available round the clock on site.SHAC provides accommodation thatcan either be used as familyaccommodation or multipleoccupations for single people,depending on who needs it at anytime. The association meets each newperson at the accommodation andhelps them settle in. On-site staffmake sure that they know all aboutlocal amenities; shops, doctors, placesof worship etc and deal with day-to-day problems.

Originally SHAC provided theemergency reception accommodation

as well, with staff on call to respondto new arrivals at any hour; and haveaccommodation open within an hour.However as SHAC cannot provide fullboard catering, that aspect was re-organised although the association stillholds a small number of fully preparedrooms and flats vacant and ready so

new asylum seekerscan move inimmediately they areregistered. Since thepresent arrangementswere establishedSHAC have housedover 200 individuals orfamilies under thesearrangements. Before2000 the associationhad taken directreferrals from Social

Services and some of those are stillhoused with SHAC.

Asylum seekers come from manydifferent countries and the pattern haschanged over the years as worldcircumstances change. The fact thatthey are not allowed to work andhave very low support benefits (muchless than Income Support levels)creates a lot of problems for them andSHAC tries to help as much aspossible to ensure they have adignified and comfortable life whilethey wait for a decision.

Decisions are incredibly slow andrelatively few have had any decisions.Of the few who have received positivedecisions; refugee status, or otherforms of “leave to remain” theassociation has been able to providelong term accommodation for sixpeople. Families typically move on toHousing Executive accommodation.

From SHAC’s perspective this service isboth important and worthwhile andthey plan to continue to play their partas long as the service is needed. Theaccommodation used would normallyhave high turnover and vacancy rates,so asylum seekers are not displacinglocal applicants.

All services for asylum seekers are co-ordinated by a very large inter-agencygroup involving HSS Trusts, ELB’s,NIHE, NICEM, SHAC, and others,chaired by NASS (a section of theHome Office).

A PLACE TO CALL HOME?

THE BROOKThe redevelopment of Brook Greenin Coleraine has been the result ofan innovative partnership betweenFold Housing Association andCauseway Health and Social ServicesTrust. The project brings togetherhousing and health to provide for aholistic solution to the needs of frailolder people suffering fromdementia.

The concept for the scheme grewfrom an appraisal of existingaccommodation under themanagement of Causeway Trust atBrook Green. The outcome of thatappraisal indicated a clear need toreplace existing provision and thisdecision paved the way to enablinga revitalisation of the whole site atBrook Green alongside theopportunity to review the level andtype of accommodation needed forthe client group. It was agreed thata housing solution, not based ontraditional models of residential ornursing care would be the best wayforward.

Key aims agreed between thepartner organisations was that theaccommodation would be designedto provide for choice, security,independence and privacy.

Phase 1 of the development,comprising 33 units ofaccommodation, was handed overto Causeway Trust on 1 August2005 and Officially Opened on 2September 2005. Causeway Trustmanages the scheme on a day today basis and in reference to a jointmanagement agreement with Fold.

(continued on next page)

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CLANMIL COMMONROOMS - A HIVE

OF ACTIVITYWhen tenants decide to live insheltered housing the main reasonscited for their choice is the enhancedsecurity and the opportunity tosocialise with other tenants. It issurprising then that research overthe past few years has shown thatcommon rooms at sheltered schemeswere grossly underused by tenants.

Clanmil Housing found that whilesome Scheme Co-ordinators wereable to arrange regularscheme basedactivities, thesetended to be thosenormally associatedwith shelteredschemes i.e. coffeemornings and bingo.With the role ofScheme Co-ordinatorchanging, activitiesoften come behind the otherpriorities facing staff today.

The association recognised that astrategy to promote social inclusionin their schemes would be a practicalsolution, so in 2003 they decided toappoint dedicated staff with thenecessary skills to plan and deliver adiverse activity programme. Thefunding for these appointments wasto come from Supporting People andthe support charge paid by thosetenants not in receipt of supporting

people funding. Pia Gore and JeanScott were subsequently appointedand have now introduced aprogramme of activities acrossClanmil’s sheltered schemes whichinclude:-

• Art & Craft classes• Gardening club• Reminiscence therapy • Armchair aerobics• Walking clubs• Friendship & luncheon clubs• Flower arranging

The impact that Jeanand Pia have had onthe increased level ofactivity at schemescomplements the coreactivities alreadyprovided by SchemeCo-ordinators and has

been very rewarding - especially bythose people who now look forwardto the many activities that regularlytake place. This diverse range ofactivities, which has also includedcultural exchange visits betweentenants of sheltered schemes andthe Chinese community, hasgenerated a real buzz of activityaround schemes and provides manyopportunities for social interactionwhich, of course, is why manypeople choose to live in shelteredhousing in the first place – it has

worked wonders atrevitalising the use ofcommon rooms asRuth McNair ofHughes Court testifies.

“Pia and Jean haveboth been very helpfulin the activities theyhave planned for ushere at Hughes Court.its great fun andeveryone really, reallyenjoys the variousactivities – the timejust seems to fly in!”

everyonereally, really enjoysthe variousactivities

Phase 2 will commence on site inearly October 2005 and, whencompeted, The Brook will offer 61units of accommodation wherethose suffering from dementia willhave person centred support andpersonal care inputs appropriate toindividual need.

The Brook exemplifies how thevoluntary housing movement canbring added value to public servicesthrough devising innovativesolutions in partnership withstatutory bodies that address needwithin local communities.

The ethos of The Brook is to providefor housing, care and support needswithin a domestic type setting thatenables the individual to maintaindaily living skills and continue withlifestyle choices. This adds toquality of life. Emphasis is placedon providing the person withappropriate accommodation inwhich care and support services canbe tailored to best meet need. Eachtenant at The Brook has their ownfront door and the core values ofprivacy, dignity, choice, rights,independence, fulfilment, security,respect and equality are uppermostwhen care and support plans arebeing agreed.

The Brook incorporates a number ofSMART (assistive) technologysupport measures. Fold makesextensive use of assistive technologyin all care and supported housingenvironments as a means ofenabling tenants to have maximumprivacy through minimum intrusion.

Fold is delighted to be inpartnership with Causeway Trust insuch an innovative and creativepartnership. The design features ofThe Brook incorporate a dedicatedsuite of offices that enable The Trustto develop a Centre of Excellence inDementia Care and Support thatwill benefit the whole of thecommunity in the Trust’s area.

(The Brook continued)

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B&Q – ‘OPENING DOORS’Over the past year Open DoorHousing Association has beenundertaking a major review andrestructuring of its ITC systems.Part of this process has involvedthe, perhaps hopeless, pursuit ofthe holy grail of the paperlessoffice, or at least making someeffort to move in that direction.A key part of this effort hasfocused on creating electronicversions of historicdocumentation particularly mapsand plans of projects completed.

With all of this work theassociation was keen to look forvalue added possibilities and hadbeen examining the use anymedia provided to develop virtualenvironments for tenants use andneighbourhood consultations. Inthis context Open Door becameaware of a B&Q product calledInstant Makeover, and whilebased on a different type oftechnology than those theassociation had been looking atthere appeared to be enoughsimilarities of approach towarrant pursuing discussions onpartnership developments.

The next step in the process wasto make contact with B&Q locally.During preliminary discussions itwas discovered that a number ofB&Q products and services wouldbe of benefit to social landlordseither as stand alone products orservices or when combined.However the main product whichappealed to Open Door was theB&Q Decorating Voucher schemealong with the in-store trainingservices.

What is it all about?

The B&Q voucher scheme put insimple terms operates as follows:

1. The B&Q Decorating Voucherscheme operates with prepaid

vouchers of differentdenominations which can beissued to tenants or theirrepresentatives to coverdecorative repair costs. Thescheme not only benefits thetenants but importantly alsoprovides the association withclear audit trials.

2. In store training services whichtarget particular DIY tasks suchas painting and decorating aredelivered by trade experts in apurpose built area of each B&Qstore. This training service canalso be bespoke and deliveredon a prearranged basis to aselected group of socialhousing tenants.

Initially Open Door believed thatit could simply make use of theB&Q product and service range inmuch the same way as anindividual customer. Howeverafter a lot of consideration theassociation felt that there was anopportunity for bothorganisations to benefit by wayof a mutual partnership.

So, for example if theredecoration voucher scheme wasto be combined with a targetedin store training event thentenants would be able to make abetter informed choice onpurchases and achieve moresatisfactory result, while at thesame time provide increasedcustomer awareness of B&Q.

Likewise with the makeoversoftware, Open Door believedthat there was an opportunity toexplore the possibilities fortenants to look at decorative andother options for changing theirroom schemes on screen prior tomaking any decisions and gettingcost comparisons before vouchersare issued.

By partnering with B&Q, OpenDoor Housing Associationbelieves that it is now in aposition to offer a moreresponsible and health and safetyconscious redecorationprogramme to its tenants andone which not only supplies themwith high quality goods but alsogives them the opportunity tolearn new skills and to takeadvantage of modern softwareallowing them to take a look atthe end product before a singlebrush stroke is even applied.

Currently Open Door is the onlyhousing association operating thissystem in Northern Ireland. Earlyreports would seem to suggestthat the partnership is workingwell and the tenants arebeginning to see real benefits,but more importantly have takenownership of their decoratingrequirements and have takenadvantage of the vast DIYexperience and knowledge thatB&Q have brought to this project.

To find out how B&Q can helpyou, see back cover.

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A key role of the Federation isto represent and promote thework of its member associations.The following reports highlightsome of our members’ recentsuccesses and news stories.

BLOWINGOUR OWNTRUMPET

Ulidia Housing Association is currentlyblazing a trial in the development ofsocial housing across NorthernIreland. The association has recentlyfinailsed housing developments inLisburn (Ballymacoss), Warrenpoint(Bridle Loanan) and West Belfast(Devonshire).

The three developments represent atotal investment of £20 million. Eachproject clearly demonstrates Ulidia’s

commitment to the Department forSocial Development’s (DSD) new buildsocial housing programme, andillustrates the association’scommitment in proactively workingto reduce the much published issueof housing stress.

If you would like furtherinformation on Ulidia’sdevelopments please contact theassociation directly on

28 9038 2288.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

ULIDIA HOUSING ASSOCIATION INVESTS£20 MILLION IN NORTHERN IRELAND

SOCIAL HOUSING PROGRAMME

☎

EQUALITYSCHEME

APPROVAL

NIFHA is pleased to announce that35 housing associations havesuccessfully gained approval fromthe Equality Commission for theirrecently submitted ‘EqualitySchemes’.

The Equality Commissioncommented favourably on thevoluntary housing sector’scommitment to the process and forthe considerable effort shown byeach association. The Commissionalso praised the joint workingarrangements that had beenimplemented during the process.

For further details on housingassociation equality schemesplease contact NIFHA on

028 9023 0446 ☎

MAKUTANO APPEALNorth and West Housing Associationwill be launching a publicationentitled “Candles in the Darkness”during NIFHA’s Annual Conferencein October. The booklet

commemorates the association’sfortieth anniversary and is intendedto show appreciation for thevoluntary commitment made bymany Committee members over that

period. Proceedsfrom the sale of the book will helpto fund North and West’s charitablework in the Makutano district ofEastern Kenya.

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Social Development Minister DavidHanson MP recently visited OakleeHousing Association to perform twovery important jobs – firstly theMinister took time to learn moreabout the housing provisioncurrently supplied by OakleeHousing Association when hevisited the association’s BranielSquare scheme.

Later that afternoon the Ministerlaunched the new Oaklee ServicesCentre which has been establishedto provide frontline services totenants, customers andstakeholders.

The Minister paid tribute to thehard work and dedication of all

those involved in theimplementation of theService Centre, whichallows tenantsconcerns to beattended to speedilywhile at the same timefreeing housing officersto address morecomplex issues.

For furtherinformation on theOaklee HousingAssociation and theirservices pleasecontact theassociation on

028 9044 1300. ☎

Ark Housing has taken steps to securethe long term safety of its RossmoreDrive residents by installing the state-of-the-art Attendo Systems ‘AdvantageWarden Call System’. This is the firsttime that the Attendo system has beeninstalled in Northern Ireland. RossmoreDrive is one just one of Ark Housing’sspecialist property in this casecomprising a total of eight units (twoand three room bungalows) for theelderly and wheelchair users.

The new Attendo ‘Advantage Warden

Call System’ is much more than analarm system. Not only does it providea 24 hour emergency responseincluding warden and nurse callsystems and smoke detectors but italso allows for the changing needs ofresidents to be met as they becomemore dependant by facilitating theaddition of other alarms such as, flooddetectors, automated door entry accessand wrist/neck pendants.

For further information on theRossmore Drive, Advantage

Warden System programme pleasecontact Ark Housing Association on

028 9075 2310.

One of Northern Ireland’s mostproactive housing associationscelebrated the prestigious ‘Investors inPeople’ award earlier this year.Connswater Housing Associationoperates in East Belfast and managesalmost 300 properties for families andindependent elderly people.

This award is a tremendousachievement for what is a relativelysmall organisation and clearlydemonstrates the commitment foundwithin the voluntary housing sector inrelation to staffing and theimprovement of service provision.

For further information onConnswater Housing Associationplease contact the association on

028 9045 6596.

MINISTER OF STATE VISITS LOCALHOUSING ASSOCIATION

CONNSWATER HOUSING INVESTS IN ITS PEOPLE

ARK HOUSING SECURES THE FUTURE SAFETY OF RESIDENTS

☎

☎

This is only a small insight intothe sorts of projects in whichHousing Associations areinvolved, but without questionclearly illustrates the HousingAssociation movement’scommitment to raising standardsof its accommodation andensuring that its residentscontinue to access qualityproperties across NorthernIreland.

If you would like to find out moreabout any of the above projectsor would like further informationon future Housing Associationannouncements then pleasecontact the Federation on

028 9023 0446 or email:info@nifha.org.☎

David Hanson MP

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In the beginning it was just a groupof like-minded individuals within thevoluntary and community sector,coming together to discuss ICT, shareinformation and support each other.It soon transpired that, althoughfrom different areas of the sector, wehad similar ICT issues affecting ourorganisations. So, the group turnedits energies to highlighting andtackling these, and to offering otherorganisations like ourselves, ahelping hand through the “techie”jungle which surrounds us all.

The starting point for this wasNICVA's first ICTconference inNovember 2004(Connecting theDots - Plotting theFuture of ICT in theVoluntary andCommunity Sector),which the grouphelped plan andorganise.

Connecting the Dotsproved to be verysuccessful.Feedback fromparticipants waspositive. Many requested follow upsto the “teaser” sessions that formedpart of the conference, withdedicated workshops on the varioussubject areas. It was clear that thiscould not be done on an adhocbasis, but needed a more formalapproach, and so, in January 2005,the ictconsortiumNI was officiallyformed.

ictconsortiumNI is an excitingopportunity for enhancing theknowledge and skills of NorthernIreland’s voluntary and communitysector.

This year the ictconsortiumNI hasfocused on promoting digital

inclusion. An accessibility workshop,which aimed to make online contentuniversally accessible, was held on28th September 2005. Thisworkshop has been so successfulthat the group intends to run furtherworkshops in 2006.

Some of the topics to be coveredare:• Developing and implementing

policies on the use of technologye.g. Acceptable Internet usage,exploring copyright laws.

• Managing ICT – Developing anICT strategy

• A workshop for techies

The ictconsortiumNIis also looking aheadto the issues that willaffect the sector inthe future, intendingto liaise with the e-government unit onthe development ofan ICT strategy forthe sector. Therequirement of anICT strategy for thevoluntary andcommunity sector

was initially highlighted in InvestingTogether (Report of the Task Forceon Resourcing the Voluntary andCommunity Sector – October 2004)and afterwards emphasised inPositive Steps (The Government’sResponse to Investing Together –March 2005).

The ictconsoritumNI is not a closedgroup and the consortium invitesorganisations within the sector toactively participate in its regularmeetings. If you want to get intouch with the ictconsoritumNI -send an e-mail toICTconsortiumNI@googlegroups.com,or visit our website atwww.ictconsortiumni.org

To support andpromote the strategicuse of ICT within thevoluntary andcommunity sector inNorthern Ireland, andprovide a collectivevoice on ICT issueswithin the sector.

our mission-

11posh - autumn/winter

A-Z OF HOUSING ASSOCIATIONSHOUSING ASSOCIATIONS CONTACT NUMBER EMAIL ADDRESSES HOUSING PROVIDED

Abbeyfield UK (NI) 028 9040 2045 abbeyfield@societyni.fsnet.co.uk AAbode 028 9336 0973 abodehousing@btinternet.com A, B, C ,FArk Housing 028 9075 2310 info@arkhousing.co.uk A, B, C, FBallynafeigh 028 9049 1569 paul@ballynafeighha.co.uk A, CBelfast Community 028 9046 3686 office@bc-ha.org A, CBIH 028 9032 0485 office@bih.org.uk A, B, C,D, FBroadway 028 9074 2984 broadway@shac.org.uk DChoice 028 9030 8140 info@choiceha.org A, B, C, F, GClanmil 028 9087 6000 housing@clanmil.org.uk A, B, C, FClonard 028 9031 1156 N/A CConnswater 028 9045 6596 housing@connswater.org.uk CCoral Crescent 028 9442 8364 N/A ECorinthian 028 9030 8019 info@corinthianha.org A, B, C, F, GCovenanter 028 9033 1920 admin@cral.fsnet.co.uk D, FCraigowen 028 9042 3316 office@glencraig.org.uk B, GDonacloney 028 9031 1156 N/A A, CDungannon & District 028 8772 2121 ddha@dungannon.fsnet.co.uk A, B, C, FFilor 028 9035 1131 filorhousing@btconnect.com CFlax 028 9059 2110 admin@flaxhousing.com A, C, F, GFold 028 9042 8314 info@foldgroup.co.uk A, B, C, FGosford 028 3751 8522 projects@gosfordhousing.co.uk A, C, FGrove 028 9077 3330 info@groveha.org.uk CHabinteg (Ulster) 028 9042 7211 info@habinteg-ulster.co.uk A, D, F, G, J, LHearth 028 9053 0121 info@hearth-housing.org.uk C, INewington 028 9074 4055 admin@newingtonha.co.uk A, C, FNorth & West 028 7126 3819 info@nwh-group.com A, B, C, D, F, G, OOaklee 028 9044 1300 admin@oaklee.org.uk A, B, C, F, GOpen Door 028 9024 3785 info@opendoor.org.uk B, D, G, H, J, K, MPresbyterian 028 9050 7755 info@pha-ni.org.uk A, FRural 028 8224 6118 info@ruralhousing.co.uk O, CSHAC 028 9024 6811 enquiries@shac.org.uk G, KSouth Ulster 028 3833 9795 info@southulsterhousing.com C, G, OSt Matthew's 028 9045 1070 smha@btclick.com CTriangle 028 2766 6880 info@trianglehousing.org.uk B, C, GUlidia 028 9038 2288 info@ulidiahousing.org L, MWesley 028 9336 3558 info@wha-ni.org A, F, GWoodvale & Shankill 028 9074 1618 woodvaleandshank@btconnect.com A, C, FNI Co-Ownership 028 9032 7276 mail@co-ownership.org NUnregisteredBangor Provident Trust 028 9024 6602 N/AGlenall Housing Co-operative 028 9031 1156 N/AHabitat for Humanity Belfast 028 9024 3686 belfast@habitatni.co.ukIntercomm Enterprises 028 9074 8355 info@intercommbelfast.comThreshold 028 9087 1313 info@thresholdservices.comUlster Provident 028 9031 1156 erskine@ulsterprovident.fsnet.co.uk

HOUSING PROVIDED CODEElderly Accomodation ASpecial Needs BGeneral Housing CSingle Persons Accomodation DTenant Controlled E

HOUSING PROVIDED CODESheltered Accomodation FSupported Housing GIntegrated Housing HArchitectural Merit ISingle Homeless Units J

HOUSING PROVIDED CODESingle Student/People Units KOne Parent Families LWomen at risk from Domestic Violence MNew/Existing House for Sale NRural O

PROVIDED HOUSING KEY

These organisations providehousing but are notregistered housingassociations and do notreceive DSD funding.