Derry Housing Association

The DHA was set up in October 1965 and its first chairman was John Hume, currently the leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP). The association provided flats for young couples who could, after two years, obtain a return of half the rent they had paid to put down a deposit on the purchase of a house. The association also undertook the building of new houses. Some of the housing plans of the DHA fell foul of the Unionist controlled Londonderry Corporation who refused planning permission. It was claimed that planning permission was denied because of the likely effect on the religious and political balance of certain key wards in the city. See: Chapter 5, in, Purdie, Bob. (1990). 'Politics in the Streets: The origins of the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland'. Belfast: Blackstaff Press.