Northern Ireland Housing Conference 2024

Wednesday 20th March ● The Europa Hotel, Belfast

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an agendaNi event


agendaNi is organising its annual Northern Ireland Housing Conference, which has become well established as the major annual event for all those with an interest or role in housing in Northern Ireland. As with previous years, it will have a genuine, in depth understanding of the key issues via a high-level panel of local and visiting speakers. The conference is an important date in the diary of housing professionals across the region.

Challenges ahead

The 2024 conference will take place against a backdrop of high inflation and the worst living standards squeeze on record. Figures from the end of March 2023 show that 45,105 are on the social housing waiting list – the highest number Northern Ireland has seen for years with over 32,000 considered to be in housing stress. At the time of writing, we still have no functioning Executive and Minister in place, further delaying the Housing Supply Strategy, a 15-year plan to deliver over 100,000 homes (including over 33,000 social homes) and address supply-related pressures. Indeed, since the time of publication of the draft Strategy, the original challenges have become even more pronounced. Fewer households are able to access homeownership, due to higher mortgage rates, higher property prices, economic uncertainty and the cost of living crisis.

However, broad consensus on the core aspects of the Strategy has provided confidence to move forward with the development of a first action plan, ensuring work towards implementation is already underway, with most of the actions falling under the remit of the Department for Communities. Early identified draft actions include providing more social and intermediate homes, including the development of a new intermediate rent product; implementation of the Social Housing Allocations review, and progression of regulations to improve the private rented sector.

The Northern Ireland Housing Executive, our Housing Associations and other organisations in the sector also continue to forge ahead, delivering safe, quality homes and other care and support services. In 2023, it was announced that Housing Associations had successfully exceeded new build targets set by the Department in the financial year 2022/23. However, reductions to the Capital House Building Programme for 2023/24 will directly impact on the number of social homes being built.

The Northern Ireland Housing Conference will bring together key stakeholders and look at how we can fulfil the need for safe, affordable housing both now and in the future.

location

Location

The Europa Hotel, Belfast

location

Time

From 09:00
Wednesday 20th March

A high level panel of local and visiting speakers will examine key issues including:

  • Future housing policy outlook in Northern Ireland
  • Housing Investment Plans (HIPs) to meet local housing need
  • Shared Housing Delivery: The Housing for All programme
  • Managing risk for Housing Associations
  • The future outlook for the housing market
  • ESG reporting in the social housing sector
  • Supporting tenants through the cost of living crisis
  • Raising professionalism in the housing sector
  • The evolution of customer service: Making resident involvement meaningful and accessible
  • Innovative technology platforms to manage assets and deliver better, more simplified services
  • AI, machine learning and big data in social housing
  • Supporting People: Blending assistive technology with traditional models of delivery
  • The decarbonisation of social housing
  • Innovation in housing: Reimagining better ways to live
  • Collaboration for better results

Speakers confirmed so far...

Gordon Lyons MLA


Minister for Communities

Grainia Long

Chief Executive
Northern Ireland Housing Executive

Fiona McAnespie

Director of Care and Support
Radius Housing

Michael McDonnell

Chief Executive
Choice Housing

Clára Robinson

Policy and Research Executive
Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations

Pól Callaghan

Executive Director of Customer and Communities
Clanmil Housing

Ad Hereijgers

Director of Business Development
RITTERWALD

Ceri Victory-Rowe

Director
Campbell Tickell

Richard Ramsey

Chief Economist
Ulster Bank

Justin Cartwright

National Director
Chartered Institute of Housing

Pat Austin

Director, Northern Ireland
National Energy Action (NEA)

Robert Clements

Head of Sustainable Development
Northern Ireland Housing Executive

Paddy Gray OBE

Professor of Housing
Ulster University

Kevin McGarry

Programme Manager
Northern Ireland
Energy Saving Trust

Tom Longley

Head of Business Development
Switchee

On the day

Event Programme

08.30

Registration and morning coffee

09.00

Professor Paddy Gray OBE
Professor of Housing
Ulster University

Chair’s welcome and introduction

Gordon Lyons MLA

Minister for Communities

Housing policy

Priorities for housing policy in Northern Ireland

Grainia Long
Chief Executive
Northern Ireland Housing Executive

Housing for All

Delivering the Housing for All Programme

Richard Ramsey
Chief Economist
Ulster Bank

Economic overview

The future outlook for the housing market

Justin Cartwright
National Director, Northern Ireland
Chartered Institute of Housing

Resourcing

Raising professionalism in the housing sector

Questions & answers / panel discussion

10.45

Networking break

11.15

Ceri Victory-Rowe
Director
Campbell Tickell

Risk management

Resilient housing services: Managing risk for Housing Associations

Fiona McAnespie
Director of Care and Support
Radius Housing

Supporting People

Supporting People: Blending assistive technology with traditional models of delivery

Ad Hereijgers
Director of Business Development
RITTERWALD

ESG

ESG reporting in social housing

Pól Callaghan
Executive Director of Customer and Communities
Clanmil Housing

Tenant engagement

The evolution of customer service: Co-designing a customer strategy with tenants

Tom Longley
Head of Business Development
Switchee

Digital transformation: Assets

Innovative technology to manage assets and deliver better services

Questions & answers / panel discussion

13.15

Networking lunch

14.15

Pat Austin, Director, National Energy Action

Robert Clements, Head of Sustainable Development, Northern Ireland Housing Executive

Michael McDonnell, Chief Executive, Choice Housing

Kevin McGarry, Programme Manager, Northern Ireland, Energy Saving Trust

Clára Robinson, Policy and Research Executive, Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations

PANEL DISCUSSION: DECARBONISATION OF SOCIAL HOUSING

15.15

Chair’s summary and conference close

Sponsorship & Exhibition opportunities

There are a limited number of available sponsorship and exhibition opportunities at this conference which will be of interest to companies and organisations with products or services they wish to promote. For further information and to learn how your organisation can benefit, contact Olivia Ross on 028 9261 9933 or email Olivia.Ross@agendani.com.

Northern Ireland Housing Conference

Registration

Delegate rate:

£ 245
+ VAT @ 20% =£294

Register

Discounted rate for Housing Associations and voluntary/community sector:

£195
+ VAT @ 20% =£234

Register

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