Co-Ownership calls for solutions to housing crisis to be prioritised

As the open consultation on the Draft Budget 2026 – 2029/30 enters its final days, Co-Ownership has called on the Department of Finance to reflect the current Programme for Government by “doing what matters most”. Its view is that solutions to Northern Ireland’s housing crisis should be prioritised to ensure the delivery of more homes.

Mark Graham, Chief Executive of Co-Ownership said, “We welcome the introduction of a multi-year budget strategy. For too long we have had a series of single year budgets making long-term planning and sustained progress challenging.

“Northern Ireland is experiencing a persistent housing crisis. We have unacceptably high levels of homelessness, a rising number of people that are living in housing stress, an expensive and insecure private rented sector, and a younger generation with very limited housing options unable to access home ownership in the way their parents did.

“We now have the opportunity to do more to address infrastructural challenges to unlock supply and deliver more affordable, high-quality, sustainable homes to meet the needs of communities across Northern Ireland. We acknowledge that the Executive is operating within a difficult fiscal environment to meet all budgetary demands, but resources should be allocated where they are needed the most. Committing to housing, and shared ownership therein, firmly establishes it as a foundation for health and wellbeing, and economic prosperity.”

Co-Ownership

Co-Ownership is Northern Ireland’s regional provider of shared ownership. Its model allows people to purchase the share of a home they can afford, between 50 per cent and 90 per cent, with Co-Ownership purchasing the remainder.

Mark continues, “Shared ownership remains a success story in Northern Ireland. In the last decade Co-Ownership has helped 9,000 into home ownership – people who without our help would likely not be able to own a home of their own. The value of the homes purchased exceeds £1 billion in property value, demonstrating how important a contribution our organisation makes to the sector. The approved Programme for Government positions shared ownership as a solution to help people into homeownership.

“Furthermore, in March 2025, the Minister for Communities announced £153 million in Financial Transactions Capital (FTC) funding to help us support 4,000 individuals, couples and families buy their own home. FTC funding means we repay these loans when our customers buy out our share in their property and provide a low-risk investment for Government as it seeks solutions that get more people into secure and affordable housing. This innovative and long-term approach to funding provides certainty on the number of homes we can deliver, and is an example of the benefits that multi-year budgets can provide.”