No social new-build starts in Northern Ireland in second quarter, data reveals 

Mr Leheny said the SHDP was targeting 2,000 starts this financial year, but that it faced a shortfall in funding of over £61m. The allocated funding for the SHDP to date was only sufficient to build a maximum of 1,000 new homes, he said.

“This uncertainty around funding has also been exacerbated by no decision as yet around the [total cost indicators] and [housing association grant] rates for 2025-26. Therefore, this lack of clarity and certainty is not helping housing associations,” he added.

Mr Leheny also pointed out that starts occur late in the year due to “uncertain annual budgets”. He called on the government to deliver a viable multiyear budget to give the sector certainty for more consistent delivery over each quarter.

In its June submission to the Department for Communities’ budget impact assessment, the NIHE also warned that if starts fall to 1,000 a year, it will fall behind development targets set out in both the Programme for Government and the Housing Supply Strategy.

“Consequently, more households will therefore be waiting longer for permanent social housing, and in the interim, many will have to remain in the private rented sector or in temporary accommodation, both of which are more expensive to the public purse than social housing,” it said.

The latest bulletin also shows that the number of households with homelessness status in Northern Ireland has increased by 7% on last year. On 30 June, there were 49,129 households on the social housing waiting list, with 32,159 of those having homelessness status.

Nicola McCrudden, chief executive of Homeless Connect, the representative body for the homelessness sector in Northern Ireland, described the new-starts figures as “absolutely shocking”.

“The Northern Ireland Executive need to ask themselves why this has happened, as this is a case of collective accountability. Whatever barriers are preventing housing associations from building need to come down, and quickly.”

Ms McCrudden added: “We are not, and have not been, building enough social housing, and other forms of housing are simply out of reach for growing numbers of people.”

An NIHE spokesperson said: “To date this year, the social housing development programme has recorded 404 housing completions and 41 starts in Northern Ireland. 5471 social housing development plan homes are currently under construction – a large number of which will be completed in this financial year.

“Public sector funding remains a challenge. However, we continue to make representations for additional funding via the monitoring rounds, as has been the case in previous years.

“An additional £9m was received in the June monitoring round and we will advocate for further funding via this channel as the year progresses.”

The Department of Finance has released a separate set of statistics on residential delivery. These numbers, which measure completions and starts from building control application dates, show 2,248 new dwellings were started, up 30% on the last quarter, and 1,475 completions, up 8% on the last quarter.

Julie Steele, engagement and external affairs manager at the Chartered Institute of Housing Northern Ireland, said: “The latest statistics highlight a worrying reality. Even with some growth in new starts and completions, we are still not building nearly enough homes.

“While housing providers are working hard to deliver against challenging targets, the core issue remains a lack of sustained investment and long-term policy direction.

“The positive momentum seen in delivery must be matched by ambition, leadership and resources if Northern Ireland is to meet its housing need and ensure that every household can access a safe, affordable home.”