Celebrating Shared Housing in Coleraine

Radius Housing is celebrating its Housing for All Shared Housing programme with a special event for the Coleraine community. The event is open to community groups, schools, statutory organisations and individuals from the Coleraine area, and as well as marking the positive impact the new homes and community work has brought since 2018, the event will also look at how this work can continue. It will take place at 7pm on the 25th January in the Lodge Hotel.

Radius Housing is a leading social housing provider, who manage more than 13,000 homes across Northern Ireland and build more than 300 new homes each year. In 2018 they completed the Laurel Hill Gardens shared housing development in Coleraine.

Speaking ahead of the event, Bridie Doherty, Area Housing Manager said “Radius are so proud of the Housing for All Programme in Coleraine. Over the past 5 years we have partnered with 59 local organisations, worked with nearly 6000 participant attendances, and delivered over 59,000 participant hours of programmes and events. The community in Coleraine is very proactive and we have been able to support and partner some truly impactful work. There has also been a Community Relations Council Good Relations Youth Award brought to the town by St John’s and Killowen Primary Schools through work we have supported.”

Jennifer Cuthbert, Community Investment Manager, added “We are proud to have supported Community and statutory bodies with their projects in the area and we thank the Coleraine Advisory Group for their support and guidance over the years in helping us to inform the Good Relations plan for the area.”

The celebratory event is supported by the Department for Communities and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive’s ‘Housing for All’ Shared Housing Programme. The Programme has its origins in the NI Executive Together: Building a United Community Strategy which reflects the Executive’s commitment to improving community relations and continuing the journey towards a more united and shared society. Radius currently has 14 shared housing developments across Northern Ireland including Laurel Hill Gardens in Coleraine.

All developments are supported by Good Relations Plans, including ‘Bridging’ events which are delivered to the wider community to encourage a range of good relations outcomes which include Health and Wellbeing, Arts & Culture and Education and Training.

Lisa Mooney, Communities Officer for Coleraine, Radius Housing added “Radius look forward to this event on 25^th January, we would encourage as many groups as possible in Coleraine and within the 5-mile radius to get involved. We want to celebrate but also look to the final programme in Coleraine where we will partner with Hare’s Corner Co-operative to bring a Participatory Budgeting project to the area to allow people to come up with legacy based ideas for the area.”

Karin Eyben from Hare’s Corner Co-operative added, "The Hare's Corner Co-operative are delighted to be supporting this participatory budgeting process in Coleraine building on the practice being grown across the Council area and Northern Ireland. Participatory budgeting is a gift to all those working in community development as it focuses our attention on relationships, fairness, the often-hidden skills and talents around us, collective action and how and who gets to make decisions around the spend of public money."

The Celebratory event, at the Lodge Hotel at 7pm on 25^th January, is free to attend, and a hot fork supper will be provided. If you would like to attend, please register with lisa.mooney@radiushousing.org 07872841314

ENDS

Further information:

Brendan Scott

MW Advocate

07834422923

brendan.scott@mwadvocate.com