A foundation for sustainable communities
Following the launch of its new Foundation, Director of Communities at Radius Housing, Loma Wilson, talks to David Whelan about the Housing Association’s drive to deliver safe and sustainable communities.
As one of Northern Ireland’s largest and busiest housing associations, Radius’ ongoing delivery of 700 new build properties across 12 different schemes in 2024/25 – in the midst of extreme budgetary, infrastructure and construction challenges – is testament to the association’s desire to help ease the current housing crisis.
While increasing the supply of new housing stock has been identified as a critical lever in mitigating the challenges of a growing social housing waiting list and record levels of homelessness, the challenges of the housing crisis extend beyond supply alone.
Providing housing, care, and support to over 33,000 homes, whilst managing 13,500 properties , with a presence in all of Northern Ireland’s 11 council areas (80 towns), Radius is well placed to understand the needs of not only its tenants, but also act as an enabler of sustainable communities throughout the region.
The diversity of the help and support required is recognised by Wilson, Radius’ Director of Communities, who highlights how the association is going beyond its remit to deliver innovative solutions, such is the scale of the housing crisis.
Reflecting on 2024, a year which concluded with the publication of the Department for Communities’ long-awaited and largely welcomed Housing Supply Strategy in December, Wilson says that the ongoing delivery of 700 properties across 12 sites represents a “healthy” new build programme, in challenging conditions for the association.
Highlighting that Radius stands ready to deliver greater levels of new build social housing if solutions can be found to existing barriers that range from budget restraints, to land availability, and infrastructure connectivity restraints, the Director of Communities is well aware that many of the challenges faced in 2024 will be compounded in 2025, if solutions are not found.
Asked whether the Housing Supply Strategy offers these solutions, she says: “Publication of the Strategy is a positive step and very welcome, particularly the establishment of a new build target, but the content itself is devoid of concrete actions.
“While the Strategy rightly identifies the many challenges facing increased supply delivery, even more critical will be the associated action plans, as a basis for delivering the right outcomes.”
Although welcoming the collaborative cross-departmental nature of the strategy, Wilson is sceptical as to whether the aspirational target of 2,200 new build properties per year can be achieved in the current context. While Radius have in the past averaged the delivery of 350 to 400 new build social houses per year, it is likely that only 250 will be completed this financial year – a figure which does not include a site of 30 properties that have been built for over one year, but cannot be allocated because of delays in connection works by NI Water.
“Cuts to the Social Housing Development Programme have restricted the levels of new build social homes ourselves and other housing associations would aspire to, however, funding is not the only stumbling block. Infrastructure connectivity issues, land availability, and rising construction costs related to inflation are also serving as barriers to increased supply.
“As we sit here in January 2025, we still do not know when our funding for next year will be approved, such is the nature of the cycle of single-year budgets coming from the Northern Ireland Executive. All of these barriers need to be addressed if we are to reach the aspirations for the Housing Supply Strategy and ease the growing demand for housing.”
“While the Strategy rightly identifies the many challenges facing increased supply delivery, even more critical will be the associated action plans, as a basis for delivering the right outcomes.”
Loma Wilson, Director of Communities at Radius Housing
Foundation
Wilson is well aware that the pressures evident the housing system, such as rising costs due to inflation and strained public services are also having a major impact on Radius’s tenants. Outlining a remit to “create sustainable communities, create sustainable tenancies, and try to prevent growing homelessness”, Wilson points to the introduction of a Financial Wellbeing Strategy and subsequent programmes such as a Hardship Fund and Essential Starters Fund as examples of how Radius has sought to support their tenants in the difficult financial climate. Welfare advice officers also play a key role in supporting tenants to access benefits and maximise their income to its full potential. Each year they are, on average, leveraging £750,000 of additional income for tenants.
In 2024, Radius took an innovative approach to the support it offers its tenants and wider communities by becoming the first housing association in Northern Ireland to launch a charitable subsidy in the form of a foundation.
“The concept of the Foundation is to build on and expand much of the good work already underway across Radius’ communities,” explains Wilson. As a social enterprise, Radius already invests any of its profits back into the organisation. Through the Foundation, Radius hopes to lever grant funding to create and expand programmes that address need throughout its communities.
Pointing to strong and constant tenant engagement, underpinning an evidence base that acknowledges the aspirations of tenants, Wilson says that the foundation will seek to deliver greater supports around things like childcare, education, training and employment, initially in areas of greatest need.
Already underway, is a partnership with Ashton Community Trust in north Belfast, one of the region’s most socially deprived wards, whereby the Radius can refer its tenants to a variety of support services currently delivered by the trust
While primarily aimed at Radius tenants, Wilson is in no doubt that the as the foundation grows it can make a lasting impact on the many communities surrounding Radius’ properties.
“Having initiated our first business case with Ashton Community Trust, we have some big ambitions for the Foundation, particularly in relation to education, training, and support. Radius manages 14,000 homes across Northern Ireland and we recognise that within those families there are potentially children who are entering a cycle of disadvantage or of economic inactivity.
“An area we are keen to focus on in the future is apprenticeships. Through Radius we are providing secure and sustainable homes and it makes sense that through the Foundation we can then offer further supports to help these families and young people be economically active.”
Interestingly, Wilson also acknowledges the cyclical potential of how support for education and training can also help aid some of the challenges faced in the housing sector.
“When you factor in that one of the big challenges facing the construction industry is the skills gap that exists to deliver on not only the new build programme, but also maintain and retrofit housing to meet overarching government targets, there is a real opportunity here the marry these challenges with the solutions the Foundation can offer,” she explains.
Stressing the importance and acknowledgement that the Foundation will seek to support rather than compete with the variety of much-needed community and voluntary organisations currently operating in communities across Northern Ireland, Wilson explains that the foundation will sit as an integrated arm of Radius’ busy Community Investment and Development team, enabling good practice and successful programmes to be replicated across geographical areas.
Age-friendly
Understanding the diversity of needs across their properties, Radius Housing’s commitment to age-friendly initiatives reflects a broader vision to improve health, quality of life, and community integration for older people. Having pioneered the sheltered housing concept in Northern Ireland, Radius is the largest provider of independent living housing managing more than 4,100 properties and in December 2024 officially launched its Age-Friendly Strategy 2024–2027, setting out an ambitious plan to improve the lives and communities of older residents.
Discussing the ambitions of the strategy, Wilson says: “As Northern Ireland’s population ages, Radius Housing is committed to ensuring our older residents can live with dignity and contribute to their communities. Over many years Radius has embraced new housing types and technology to allow our tenants to enjoy their homes.
“The new strategy embodies our dedication to innovation, collaboration, and creating housing solutions that meet the evolving needs of our society. We believe that everyone is entitled to a safe, secure, and affordable home, and this strategy reaffirms our mission to deliver just that.”
“We are grateful that the Supporting People programme contributes to the service provided in some of our older person schemes, however, following years of budgetary freezes we need an assurance that there will be at least inflationary increases each year.”
Wilson attests that creating the right property type for Northern Ireland’s demographic is also key to ensuring that existing housing stock is suitable for those in need of a home, meaning that Radius’ provision of award-winning sheltered accommodation and placement of suitable tenants is also going some way to freeing up larger homes for the growing number of families currently relying in temporary accommodation or homeless.
Allocations
That Radius continuously strives to better the lives of its tenants, its communities, and those in need of housing in Ireland is evidenced by the organisation’s push to overcome systemic hurdles. In the absence of a tenant engagement strategy form the Department of Communities since the last strategy concluded in 2020, Radius is collaborating on best practice from across the UK and Ireland to update its current three-year strategy which runs until the end of 2025.
In August 2024, Radius Housing became the first recipient of the Gold Award for Tenant Participation on the island of Ireland, recognising Radius’ continued commitment to engaging with their tenants and the recent audit and assessment process.
A further frustration is the pace at which the fundamental review of social housing allocations, first announced in 2012 and consulted on in 2017, is progressing, with Wilson vocalising a common opinion, that planned reform will fall short of what is hoped for.
“There are many welcome aspects to the proposed changes including increasing choice for people around where they want to live and the reduction of waiting times, however, these aspirations are wholly dependent on a significant increase in supply. The best way to sum it up is that we are hopeful but cautious in our confidence”
While Wilson is unwilling to second guess the shape of proposed changes to how intimidation points are allocated on the social housing waiting list, her experience of the increasing complexities within the list means that she has concerns that the current process is not best suited to achieving “safe, sustainable communities”.
“I believe there is a responsibility on the housing association movement to provide solutions where possible.”
“My preference for the allocation to new build properties would be a quota system which is aimed at creating a diverse balance of tenants, which is a key aspect of creating safe and sustainable communities,” Wilson adds.
Pioneers
Wilson states that in the face of mounting challenges, Radius continues to pioneer innovative solutions to improve tenant’s lives and mitigate housing pressures. Radius is part of the European Federation of Living (EFL), for which its Chief Executive John McLean is currently vice chair, and are a part of the Older Person’s subgroup, which Wilson explains enables them to “horizon scan the technological innovations coming forward”, which can then be adapted for Radius tenants.
Similarly, having successfully piloted a number of energy efficiency upgrades across various sites, Wilson calls on the Department to deliver policy and funding mechanisms to enable housing associations to play a greater role in the decarbonisation’s existing social housing stock, whilst ensuring costs do not fall solely on tenants.
Reflecting once again on how Radius are willing to break the traditional mould of the role of housing associations in the housing sector, Wilson points to a move by Radius to use some of their existing stock to provide leasehold solutions for those in housing stress.
The Director of Communities explains: “While this is not an area traditionally occupied by housing associations in the past, unprecedented levels of people in housing stress and families in temporary accommodation is a challenge that requires untraditional solutions.”
In block leasing a small number of its existing stock to the Housing Executive, Radius continues to manage the properties and partner with support services to allow previously void properties to be used as more suitable temporary accommodation, freeing up spaces in hotels and B&Bs for others in need.
“In an ideal world, these people would be placed straight into secure tenancies, however, giving the supply challenges that exist, and the growing levels of homelessness, I believe there is a responsibility on the housing association movement to provide solutions where possible.”
Asked to define what success in 2025 looks like, Wilson concludes: “I think all of us in the housing association sector would like to see the budgetary allocation for the Social Housing Development Programme published as early as possible, to allow us to achieve our full potentials in delivering maximum levels of new build supply. We would hope that 2025 is the year where there is action taken to address the issues that are impacting on our ability to deliver the best outcomes.
“Equally, we have made good progress on the early stages of our Foundation and in 2025 we would hope to have a fundraising office in place and making applications to enable is to build on the work we have started. Ideally, we will have a Radius Academy visiting schools and delivering educational programmes geared towards raising awareness and understanding of housing, homelessness and shared housing.
“However, of primary importance to us is that we continue to have tenants who feel safe and happy in their homes and that we continue to be a supportive landlord that provides homes that build a better place for all.”
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Profile: Loma Wilson
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