“There are people out there who are not well and they don’t know where to go or how to go’” Mental Health service user (Time to Listen: Time to Act, March 2014) In May of this year, the Chief Medical Officer released his annual report on healthcare in Northern Ireland. Amidst the warnings on obesity…Continue reading The Right to Health and Making Informed Choices – Where’s the Choice with “Choose Well”?
Author: Kate Ward
UN Rapporteur Report Calls for North Belfast Housing Inequality to be tackled
The UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing today released the Report of her Official Mission to the UK. In the report, the Rapporteur Ms. Raquel Rolnik includes a section specifically on housing inequality that impacts the Catholic community in North Belfast, and calls for ‘concerted efforts’ to address the situation. Ms. Rolnik states: “In…Continue reading UN Rapporteur Report Calls for North Belfast Housing Inequality to be tackled
Social Housing Allocations and the illusions of ‘Choice’, ‘Empowerment’, and ‘Reasonableness’
The Christmas and New Year period often sees issues of homelessness brought to the fore through charitable appeals and media reports. In mid-December however, research reports commissioned by the Department for Social Development were launched, which could have significant consequences for those in most need of homes. “The Final Report: Conclusions and Recommendations of the…Continue reading Social Housing Allocations and the illusions of ‘Choice’, ‘Empowerment’, and ‘Reasonableness’
Housing, the UN and Northern Ireland – Where to now?
In the wake of the visit to Northern Ireland by UN Special Rapporteur, Raquel Rolnik, PPR’s Director of Policy, Nicola Browne asks where to now for housing? Nicola can be contacted at nicola@pprproject.org Much heat has been generated, but not much light shed, around the work of the UN Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate…Continue reading Housing, the UN and Northern Ireland – Where to now?
The Inez McCormack Fund
“To enable the powerless, the invisible, to be part of making the change, that changes how they see themselves and that changes everything” Inez McCormack, the internationally renowned human rights activist died yesterday 21st January following a short illness. In accordance with her wishes, the Participation and Practice of Rights (PPR) organisaton, which she founded…Continue reading The Inez McCormack Fund
Dismantling the NIHE & the Housing Strategy for Northern Ireland; are we ‘Facing the Future’ or Reliving the Past?
Today Minister Nelson McCausland announced plans to dismantle the Northern Ireland Housing Executive stating that: “My Department will have responsibility for overall Housing Strategy, policy, legislation and funding – setting the strategic vision for housing in Northern Ireland and developing the policies which underpin that vision.” This development begs the question ‘What will be the…Continue reading Dismantling the NIHE & the Housing Strategy for Northern Ireland; are we ‘Facing the Future’ or Reliving the Past?
Two Sides of the Same Coin
Last Thursday, a group of north Belfast residents visited the offices of six political representatives to publicly deliver letters about their poor housing conditions and question the current proposals for the regeneration of the Girdwood Barracks site. The proposals were the subject of a BBC Spotlight Progamme in May and came under widespread…Continue reading Two Sides of the Same Coin
Papering over the Cracks: the documentary film
The Seven Towers Residents Group documentary film Papering Over the Cracks which was shown over the summer at the West Belfast Feile is now available to view online. It may be of interest to those following the work of the group and all those who showed an interest in a previous post on the same subject. The film focuses…Continue reading Papering over the Cracks: the documentary film
Papering over the cracks
Rights begin in the small places close to home where we seek justice, equal opportunity and equal dignity. Unless these rights have meaning there they will have little meaning elsewhere. Words and sentiments that many will recognise as belonging to the oft-quoted Eleanor Roosevelt. Many more will vaguely remember having seen them in human rights…Continue reading Papering over the cracks