All-Ireland Housing Awards winner 2024
Housing hero
Who is Bronagh Magorrian?
Bronagh has received hero status at the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE) for her tireless, customer focussed, and results driven work as team leader in its Downpatrick office over the last 30 years.
Why was she nominated for the award?
A brilliant example of Bronagh’s work was how, in 2021, she masterminded an innovative and intensive tenancy sustainment project which transformed a neighbourhood. The Burrendale estate in Newcastle, Co. Down comprised of 113 properties and 15 blocks of flats. Two particular blocks of apartments were notorious for anti-social behaviour (ASB), were difficult to let, had extremely high turnover and were resource intensive for the NIHE as well as other statutory agencies including the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and local council. To make matters worse, a succession of deliberate fires on the apartments caused real concern and disruption to residents living in the estate.
While the arson attacks necessitated significant investment to repair the apartments, Bronagh argued that, unless a radical plan was put in place to support the residents, it was likely that the ASB and arson, which had plagued the area would not be long in returning, causing issues for the wider community, and perpetuating the area as a “no go zone”. More importantly Bronagh wanted to see the tenants thrive in their new homes.
She worked closely with Extern, a social justice charity, to put in place multi-disciplinary support for the residents in each of the eight self-contained flats. Bronagh also engaged stakeholders in the PSNI, the Police and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP), the local council (ASB Forum) and the local community group. The project set out to work with tenants with highly complex needs and vulnerabilities to provide holistic assessments, support planning, assistance to attend appointments, case strategy meetings, attendance at hospital discharge meetings, engagement with statutory service providers, support to reconnect with families, budgeting and benefit work, harm reduction interventions, safety planning, as well as dealing with safeguarding and child protection issues.
Bronagh personally oversaw the development of the project from conception to operation and worked with great commitment to operationalise her vision in partnership with other stakeholders. She liaised with the tenants being allocated the properties and their families too to gain their commitment to engaging. Through her support, encouragement and commitment all 12 initial referrals actively engaged with the service.
The project was a huge success both in terms of tenancy sustainment and in terms of impact on the wider community.
Graham Crory | Murlough Community Association chair
There was a particular hot spot in the community with a lot of ASB, drug and alcohol abuse and tenants living in conditions which caused them a lot of distress. We regularly met with NIHE along with other agencies to discuss how we could help improve the situation. Shortly after these discussions, Bronagh from NIHE presented us with a fantastic initiative. The sustaining tenancy programme turned a community from living in fear and depression, into a great, happy neighbourhood! The help and support Bronagh and the NIHE team provided for new tenants, along with continuing to support the current ones, has been a God send! As a community group we were so happy that rather than just putting tenants in houses, they were ensuring these tenants got the opportunity to enjoy a long-term tenancy in a place they could call home. The programme helped tenants thrive in a good standard of accommodation and when things were difficult the NIHE was there to help. The project had and continues to have such a positive impact and really has helped to change people’s lives! Well done Bronagh and the team!
What came of the work she did?
From a set of apartment blocks with extremely high turnover of tenants, from the beginning of Bronagh’s work in February 2021 the project supported 20 tenants with a high degree of success. Only two tenancies terminated (one where the tenant went to university and the other where the tenant moved areas). Two service users have transferred as the properties no longer met their needs (changing health circumstances in one case and where the tenant was successful in gaining access to their child and needed an extra bedroom). The other properties remain tenanted by the original tenants more than 24 months later.
The local PCSP reports a significant drop in incidents of ASB.
Success of the pilot project led to the NIHE formally procuring the service for the wider South Down area – this is in the process of being rolled out. Scope for further similar initiatives across NI are now being considered based on the success of the pilot project. This wider roll out is a testimony to the difference the project has made to the individuals in receipt of support and the wider surrounding community.
