NI Conservatives’ co-chairman, Trevor Ringland, has called for a “new mind-set” when it comes to allocating social housing. He made his comments in response to a report called ‘Equality can Wait’, which demanded more segregated housing in north Belfast.
“It really is time to move on from this mentality”, Trevor suggested. “We have to take every opportunity possible in order to see how areas can be shared, rather than segregated. There are enough social homes across Belfast in order to accommodate people, but everyone cannot expect always to be housed in their exact current locality”.
“If someone is struggling to find somewhere to live, we need to find them a home, within a reasonable vicinity, where they will be safe. If, in Belfast, that is in another area, so be it. If it is in a mixed area, or if we can actively break down community barriers through social housing, all the better”.
“In Northern Ireland we need to get rid of the mind-set which pits one perceived side of our community against another. We need to look at ways in which we can all do well. It’s government’s responsibility to make sure people have a roof over their head. It’s not government’s responsibility to sustain and pay for segregation.”