Northern Ireland Housing Executive

The NIHE is a central agency with the main responsibility of providing public sector housing in Northern Ireland. It was established in 1971 following many complaints from Catholics about the lack of impartiality among Unionist controlled local housing authorities. The NIHE inherited a situation where there was a large shortage of housing and also where 20 per cent of existing dwellings were unfit for human habitation. During the 1970s and 1980s there was large capital investment in housing in the region. Public housing, as a issue of contention between the two communities, has dropped well down the political agenda.