CIH all-Ireland 2021 housing awards winners announced

The winners of this year’s annual housing awards for excellence in housing have been announced at a virtual awards ceremony on 26 February.

The CIH all-Ireland housing awards recognise and celebrate the creativity, passion and innovation of housing organisations and individuals across the sector in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Despite the difficulties thrown up by the pandemic, this year’s awards received 80 entries across 11 categories, including communications in a crisis, best frontline housing story and excellence in leadership.

Though we were unable to celebrate in person as has become tradition, we nonetheless came together as a sector to mark the occasion on our new virtual platform. The following winners were announced:

Communications in a crisis award

• Winner - Belfast and Lisburn Women’s Aid with at home should not mean at risk

Excellence in customer service award

• Winner - Housing Executive with Everybody In

Excellence in housing innovation award

• Winner - MACS Supporting Children and Young People with Prison Resettlement Team

Excellence in championing equality and diversity award

• Winner - Choice Housing with Choice Equality and Diversity Programme

Working in partnership award

• Winner - Newington Housing Association with Newington Student Bursary Scheme

Excellence in health and wellbeing award

• Winner - Radius Housing with Radius Promoting Health and Wellbeing in Lockdown

Supporting communities award

• Winner - Council for the Homeless Northern Ireland with FareShare NI

Housing team of the year award

• Winner - First Housing Aid & Support Service with Hope From Home

Best housing story award

• Winner - Choice Housing - with Step Down Care at The Bank

Housing hero award

• Winner - Michael Lynch, Clann Housing

Inspirational young housing professional award

• Winner - Catriona McCann, Choice Housing

Commenting on the award winners, CIH Northern Ireland director Justin Cartwright said:

“Despite the colossal challenges facing the sector this year, we were delighted to be able to virtually celebrate organisational and individual achievements. Our housing awards are always a special occasion but given everything that has happened in the past 12 months since we last came together, this year felt that bit more special.

“As always, the standard of entries this year was extremely high and demonstrates the outstanding work that is happening across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and I hope that all of our shortlisted entries, as well as our winners, are rightly proud of their success during this particularly difficult time.

“As the home of professional standards, we have also collated all of our winning and shortlisted entries into our annual Good Practice Compendium which can be downloaded and shared from the CIH website.” 

Niamh Randall, spokesperson for Respond, said that the organisation was delighted to be sponsoring the awards:

“We are really pleased to sponsor the awards for 2020, a year where the dedication, expertise and creativity of staff working across the housing sector was really seen in light of Covid-19 and its impacts. Every day we see the commitment to supporting and working alongside our tenants to build thriving communities, places where people want to live. Building homes so people have the security they need to put down roots within a community is an important part of what we do. However, the journey doesn’t stop once the homes are built; it continues when we hand over the keys to our tenants and they embark upon this new chapter in their new homes. The finalists and the categories speak for themselves - excellence in customer service, in housing innovation, in health and wellbeing, in supporting communities and working in partnership. There is huge passion and expertise across the sector and real determination to have a positive impact on the lives of everyone we work with. It is wonderful to have the opportunity to acknowledge and to celebrate these significant achievements.”