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The North Belfast branch of the IRSP has called the eviction of a
North Belfast single parent from a Salvation Army hostel in the
Cliftonville indicative of the callousness that comes from the
mismanagement of the housing crisis for Catholics in the area.
The single parent of two under school-age children had reached the end of his tether in regards to being placed in totally inadequate and unsuitable accommodation by the Housing Executive. This had led directly to the dispute between Mr. Rattle and the Salvation Army, which in turn has led to his eviction. The IRSP recognise that the Salvation Army plays a vital role in providing temporary housing for vulnerable families. Mr. Rattle is not vulnerable, he is quite capable of looking after himself and his family. He is simply homeless through no fault of his own. He requires a home in which to raise his family. He does not require the level of in-house support that Salvation Army provide. He has found this intrusive into his privacy and feels that his ability as a parent is being brought into question. The Housing Executive have quite clearly abdicated their responsibility by placing Mr. Rattle in a Salvation Army hostel and have created this foreseeable, and preventable, eviction. The housing crisis in North Belfast is being totally mismanaged by the Housing Executive, who have attempted to shift their responsibility on to charities and local housing associations, rather than face up to their stated role. The public's money that is being spent, in this particular case over £500 per week, to keep a family in a hostel is exorbitant and wide-open to profiteering by unscrupulous landlords and hostel owners. The IRSP are stating that there is a housing crisis in nationalist North Belfast, because of the sectarian allocation of houses, the points system operated by the NIHE in North Belfast is a joke and has no real bearing on either housing need or provision. In conclusion the IRSP are saying whilst there may be reasons why housing in this part of the city is allocated on the basis of religion, there is absolutely no justifiable reason for the amount of vacant property lying empty in nationalist areas. Some of this housing is brand new and is lying vacant because of bureaucracy. Why is this housing not being used? The IRSP will be seeking a meeting with the NIHE to campaign for proper resources are made available to bring these houses into public usage. STATEMENTS ENDS |