£17.9m Housing Executive investment in council area

Fermanagh and Omagh District councillors have been told that Housing Executive investment in their area during 2025/26 amounted to £17.99m.

The figures came to light on Monday night, when councillors met at The Grange in Omagh to receive the annual Housing Investment Plan (HIP) update from the Housing Executive.

Paul Isherwood, Asset Management, spoke of the pressures in the housing sector while setting out the Housing Executive’s progress over the last 12 months and outlining plans.

“Challenges within the housing sector remain significant, especially with regard to improving existing homes, meeting the demand for new homes and for temporary accommodation.

“Our focus is on targeted investment in housing supply, improving the quality of our own homes and providing support to those who need it most - this is essential in improving outcomes for individuals, families and communities,” said Mr Isherwood.

He pointed out that over recent years, they had been able to deliver programmes of improvements to our own homes, including energy efficiency measures.

“During 2025/26 we invested £4.71m in Housing Executive properties, and a further proposed spend of £5.51m is planned for our homes across the District in 2026/27.

“Whilst this is good news to many of our tenants, councillors have been made aware of the requirement for access to longer-term funding streams to be able to continue investing in our homes to a decent standard.

“In relation to new-build, investment in homes in the district saw 93 Housing Association units on-site at March 2026.

“Any addition to housing stock is a benefit, and we continue to make the case for funding to meet the need and work with Fermanagh and Omagh District Council and the housing sector to identify opportunities for more development in the years ahead.

“The vital assistance for some of the most vulnerable households in our communities continued throughout the year, with £5.20m invested through the Supporting People programme, enabling 55 services to provide housing support to 985 people last year.”

He revealed that across the district, 409 people who presented as homeless were accepted for support last year - a ringfenced budget for 2025/26 and 2026/27 will help to focus on homelessness prevention and providing the right help at the right time for people who need it.

“We know this is more important than ever as we continue to face deep-rooted challenges in the housing sector.

“In addition to investing in homes and communities in 2025/26, we are also pleased to have been able to support the economic future of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area with a steady, positive impact on employment and local supply chains, demonstrating the vital economic lever that housing provides, both Northern Ireland-wide and throughout our local communities.

“Whilst we recognise the challenging environment we are operating in, we are also confident that there are many opportunities to build on the great work carried out through partnerships with our local councils.

Mr Isherwood said the Housing Executive is looking forward to continuing this work as they deliver against their shared goal of providing better places to live for the people and communities they serve.

The Housing Executive has a statutory duty to report on the previous year’s performance and the following year’s programmes and plans.

The Housing Executive’s role in community planning is to represent the housing sector. Consequently, the Housing Investment Plan has been broadened to include a more holistic view of the housing sector.

• The housing waiting list included 2,301 applicants in housing stress at March 31.

• Single and older person households comprise 67% of the housing stress waiting list in the council area.

• 607 people presented as homeless during 2025/26, 409 of whom were awarded homeless full duty status.

• 292 homes were allocated to waiting list applicants.

• Last year, the Housing Executive carried out the installation of new heating in 122 homes, 266 double glazing installations, door replacement in 115 homes, 18 cavity wall insulations, and bathroom and kitchen rewiring in 116 homes within the district.

• Improvements were also made to bathrooms of 69 properties, and two properties benefited from a capital scheme.

• 93 new build units are on-site, with 197 planned to start in the next three years.

• The Housing Executive funded 55 Supporting People services, including 40 supported housing accommodation-based schemes.

• 17 NIHE properties were sold to sitting tenants during 2025/26.