Charity Comml55i0n No.. 100189
NEWLODGE HOUSING FORUM
TrusteeAnnual Report and
Receipts & Payment5 Accounts
for the year: 31 December 2022
Star Neighbourhood Centre
79-83 Hillman Street
Belfast
Co Antrim
BT15 2FS

NEWLODGE HOUSING FORUM
TRUSTEES REPORT YEAR ENDED
31 DECEMBER 2022
NIC: 100189
Objertlves and Activities
Improve the quality of the lrfe of the resldents and inhabitants of the Greater NewLodge and
Its environs. Provide a link between community and housing providers.
To establish, maintain and manage the housing office.
Promote and carry out or assist in promoting and carrying out research suNeys and
Investl8ations and publlsh the results
Achlevemenls and Perforn￿nCe
The past year ha5 Witnessed a substantial Increase in the numbers of re5ident5 who have sought our
assistance in matters relating to housing issue5. We have dealt with over 326 requests covering
broad spectrum of problems whith are primarily based around the sublett of housing. These
Included.
Homes that are directty Imparted by the demolitlon of 287 dwelllngs. These are to be
replaced with the buildin8 of 123 quality houses which will strengthen the overall sense of
community which already exists in our area. The cost of this scheme wlll total 35140 mllllon
pounds whichls evidence of a malor investment by the housing exe and the stormont
minlster encompassing the local area. We are ty'n8 In directly with the upper long streets
committee, senior housin8 exe staff and local politiclans on a daily basis as we jointly
approach Issues at an early stage i.e., sales of houses, ensuring the rl8hts of housin8 exe
tenants, homeowners and landlord tenants whlch are all properly proterted. We have been
to the fore in informing tenants of any progress that is made.
We have witne55ed a positNe increase in the number of Tefurbtshment schemes which have
been carried out by the housln8 exe and these include
42 homes have been refurblshed In the Corfisle estste area vhth new windows and effective
external insulation whlth will ensu￿ that home5 are properly heated whllst also bringlng
down the cost of energy bill5.
There has been major refurbishrnent schemes In the tower blocks whlch have included.
Oisin. Finn and Fianna blocks. These induded new bathrooms and kitchens in each of the
flats.
We are stlll dealing with the issues of the maisonettes in Duncairn Parade. These dwellings
are 60 year5 old and have fallen into serious disrepair with problems of dampness, crumbling
oncrete and little or no insulation whith is driving the energy costs for each home Ilterally
through the roof. A Second economic evaluation should be completed In the comlng month5
and the results of this will detern)ine the progress of either demolishing the complex or
major investment In bringing the dwellings UP to proper livrn8 Standards.
Our role in ensuring that the schemes wll be successfully completed included.
meeting with the various contractor5 on a regular basis to receive updates and to discuss
problems that were arising l.e. amount of time they would be in residents homes, ensuring
that scaffolding was up for a minimal amount of time and to keep in regular contact with the

contractors re the positioning of skn'ps and the disposal of discarded building materials in
general..
Meeting with the housing exe patch managers. maintenance officers and senior staff to
jointly tackle issues which were arising including completion dates etc.
To meet with the residents both singularty and in groups to discuss progress in an overall
sense. We also recorded any complaints and met with the reps and contractors to ensure
that the work was complÈted to a high Standard.
There Continue5 to be a steady flow of residents who call to our office on a daily basls to report
Issues which are dirertly impacting on their lives and these include plumbin8. elettrical, pla5terin8
and heatin8 problems. We have a good contart with both ihe OLO group and the emergency service
section withln the housing Executive .This ensures that urgent repairs can be dealt with in a two to
four hour perlod.
We are In regular contact with the rnalntenan￿ officers and through thls relatlonshlp we have been
able to install nlne entry gates and provide a large number of replacement lock5 because of a small
8roup of youn8 people who a￿ Involved with sustained incidents of antI-￿)cIal behaviour and they
alm to have a free run of the entries.
We have also been workin8 Wlth the housing solulions team who are based In the hou51n8
executive's maln offlce. There had been issues which had arisen over a period of tlme and these had
slowed the growth of delivering an approach to homelessness which would witness meaningful
pro8re55. There was a significant tumover of personnel in this departrnent and at time5 thls led to
breakdown when dealingwith some complaints. The North Belfast mana8er of the h e arranged a
meetln8 for us to attend and those included were senlor member5 of staff within housing solutlons.
There was an Improvement right away and we now have a number of phone numbL'rs and emall
contarts which ensures that there is little chance of the breakdowns which had happened
previously.
We have a good working relationship th the local manager of the Belfast clty council. There has
been an Increase in the number of Incidents concerning the illegal dumpln8 of rubbish in the Beneral
area. There have been a number of fines iswed to tI￿se residents who have been Involved wlth thls
negatlve artivity
There has been a rise in the number of anti-50cial iThcideDts in recent months. These include, drug
deallng, vandalism and attacks between young people. We work closely with the PSNI the safer
street5 commlttee and community restorative lustice Ireland. We also work with the local youth
leaders who can offer young people alternative things to do and this literally takes them of the
street.
i)rfer three years ago our commlttee met and made the declsion to offer the people of the area the
opportunity to avail of the servlces of our new welfare rights dinic. We had been helping people
who were in financial stress which had witnessed them facing extreme hardship. This included
advising thern on the growing issue of debt including rent arrear5, loans and credit cards etc. We are
fortunate to have a debt advisor who work5 on a voluntary basis in the clinic one nlght per week and
also takes queries et¢. through our office. We have found that a5 we dellver this project we are
creating a meaningful worklng relationship with the housing benefits section of the h e.
We have also offered a servlce of delrvering food parcels to h e tenants and other indivlduals who
live in our area. We continue to take Teferrals from the local patch managers and this ensure5 that
people will avoid the negative situation of going wtthout food. There has been a marked increase in

requests being made to our office regarding food parcels and gtven the mammoth mistakes made bv
government thi5 will be our reality for some time to come. We have responded to this increase bv
seeking the assistance of two further foodbanks in north Belfast and they have come to the fore in
helping us. even though they are under extreme pressure regarding the nurnbers of people they
already tend to.
We are workin8 in partnership with Newington houslng assodation who have been awarded the
scheme whlch wlll witness the removal of the old housing stock in the upper long streets. to be
replaced with 123 quality new homes. This will add to their already substantial presence in the local
area where they are viewed as an organisation who have the best interests of the community at
heart. They regularly assSst many community groups In the area. includin8 our own. They have
asslsted u5 wlth re50urces re8ardin8 our running costs.
We continue to seek advice and practical help from ihe supportln8 Communities, or8anisation. Thelr
representatlve ILi5al Is Instrumentsl In helplng us In many practical ways. These Include arranging
meetings. provldin8 agendas and minutes and assisling us in preparin8 applications for funding. We
regard the group as a positive partner in providlng resources where they are most needed. Lisa is
also to the fore In preparlng our charity commission returns. They also assist us with wages beln8
pald and payment5 to tr rn r c bein8 paid on a regular basis.
Flnances. Our financlal situation is stable. The workerfs salary Is funded by the HE and Is applied for
on an annual basls.ln the past two years two or8anisations have a55i5ted us with runnlng tosts. They
are Newington housln8 Asso¢latlon and the john MoDre foundation. Recently we have successful
wlth our application to the h e re a 8rant for a mu¢h needed photo copier and a phone for the
hou51ng worker. Our accounts are prepared each year by the senior finance person in the star
nelghbourhood centre and we are grateful for their due dili8ence and professionallsm.
Finally, I must mentlon our commlttee who are hardworking and keen to deliver a servlce to the
community which will enhancè the lives of all who INe here. They are very prattlcal in offerin8 help
to the housing worker who has cornmented their daily contart with hirn goe5 some way to ease the
overall work load of the issue5 which 15 reported to our office on a regular ba515. We Intend not onlv
to deliver our existing 5er¥ices. indeed we need to expand them in the comin8 months and years.
Flnanclal Review
We are pleased to report that we find the Housin8 Forum in a healthy condition financially
and although we are not by any means here to make Money, we do need a modest bank
account to insure the future of the forum. Our current position guarantee5 our healthy
exlstence for the foreseeable future. We started the year with a bank balance of £8,957
Secured £32,244 fundln8 from the Housing Executive, £5,000 funding from Newin8ton
Housing Association and donations to the value of £2,350 from Community Restorative
Justice Ireland ICIUI), Slsters of Mercy & City Hibernian. We had a spend of £30,179 and
ended the year with a bank balance of £18.371
Approved by the Trustees on ￿1 13 and signed on their behalf by
(chairper5
ignaturel

NEWLODGE HOUSING FORUM
YEAR ENDED: 31tt DECEMBER 2022
NIC: 100189
Independent examlnerfs report to the tharity trustees of New lod8e Houslng Forum
Star Neighbourhood Centre report on the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 31
December 2022, which are set out on pages I to 4
Respectlve responsibilities of charlty trustees and examlner
As the charivs trustees you are responsible for the preparation of thé accounts In accordance with
the Charities Art (Northern Ireland) 2008.
It Is Star Nelghbourhood Centre5 responsibility to:
examine the accounts under sertlon 65 of the Charltie5 Art
follow the procedure5 laid down in the 8eneral Dlrectlons 8lven by the Commission under
settlon 65{9llbl of the Charities Art
State whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of Independent examlnees report
Star Nei8hbourhood centre have examined your charlty accounts as required under sertlon 65 of the
Charities Act and an examlnatlon wa5 carrled out in accordance wsth the general D1￿CtionS 8Nen by
the Charlty Commission for Northem Ireland under sectlon 6519)Ibl of the Charities Act.
The examination included a review of ihe accounting records kept by the charfty and a comparlson
of the accounts presented with those records. It a150 included consideration of any unusual items or
disclosure5 in the accounts. and seeking explanations from you as charlty trustees con¢ernlng any
such matters,
My role Is to state whether any materlal matters have come to my attentlon glvlng me cause to
believe:
l. That a¢countln8 records were not kept In accordance wlth section 63 of the Charltles Act
2. That the accounts do not accord with those accounting records
3. That the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirement5 of the Charities Act
4. That there is further information needed for a proper understanding of the accounts to be
reathed
Independent Examiners Statement
star Neighbourhood Centre have CoMpl￿ed an examination and have no concerns In respect of the
matters111 to {41 listed above in connertion wth followin8 the Dirertions of the Charity commission
Nl have no matters that require drawing to your attention.
Name:
Company..
Address:
Maria Valente
Star Neighbourhood Centre
79.83 Hillman Street
8elfast
BT15 2FS
Signed:
Date:

NEWLODGE HOUSING FORUM
STATEMENT OF RECEIPTS AND PAYMEKfs- YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022
NIC,.100189
Totsl Funds
2022
Totsl Funds
2021
AECEIPTS
Rent
Houslng Executfve
Grant/Donation
32.244.(XJ
32,244.￿)
7.350.IXJ
24,333.34
3.81￿.f￿)
7.350.QI
TOTAL
32344.00
7J50.
39.594.00
18133.34
PAYMENT5
SalarleslHMRC
25294.80
25,294.80 24&XI.00
Fees
Ga5lElectrlclTelelwater
Bank Fees
Petty Cash
Insurance
ResourceslMaterla15
60.1)0
803.76
105.09
1.409.71
305.97
486.22
1.409.71
305.97
486.22
260.31
2,362.97
260.31
2,362.97
302.74
90.12
TOTAL
25
YJ,179.98
AecelptslP4yments
6.949.20
2.464A2
9,414.02
2,171.63
Sufplu5ldÈflcltlorthe y•ar
9 414.02
2.171.63
ftecondllatlon at 31rt Decimb•r 2021
Surplusldeflcit thi5 year end
b3nk Balance at 315t Decernber 2021
6.949.20
4,158.44
2.464A2
9,414.02
4.798.96 8.957.40
2.171.63
6.785.77
Bank 8111n￿ rt 31st l>oomber 2022
11.107.64
7,263.78
71.42
8.957AO
NEWLODGE HOUSING FORUM
STATEME1￿ OF ASSEfs AND UABILrrES- YEAR ENDED: JI DECEMBER 2022
NIC: IIX1189
Restricted Unrestricted
Total
2021
Total
2020
Funds ReconcS1iation
openin8 bank balan
4.158.44
4.798.96
8.957.40
6,785.77

SurpluslDefbCit this year end
6.949.20
2,464.82
9.414.02
2.171.63
8,957.4
Closing Bank Balance
11.107.64
7.263.78
18.371.42
Other assets
Computer/Laptop
Printer
phototopier
These accounts were approved by the TNstee5 on
(Datel
and slined on their behalf by:
(Treasurer's Slqnaturel
(Chairperson's
signature)
NIC: 100189
l B1515 of Preparatlon
These accounts are produced on a Receipts and Payments basis.
2 Trustee remuneralion and Expenses
Trustees received no remuneration for their ser¥ices. and no Trustees were employed by the charity

WIC: l(m89
l Basls of Pr•parallon
These accounts are produced on a Receipts and PayTh￿ts basks
2TNst•e remun*ratlon and'Expmis•s
.. Trustees recelved no rethunoratton for thelr seryk•s, and no T.rths werè eHW0￿&bYtha &ytlty. ..
Cknlni
b•lance I¢￿p￿ plyrnnts B•l4nc•
Totsl Unrestrlctrd Funds
4.798.96 7.350.CX) 4,885.18 Z,263.78
4,158.44 32,244.1x1 25,294.8Q li. IOY..64
houslng Executlve
Total Restrkted Funds
4,158A4 32,244.(KI 25,294A) 11,107.64
Total Funds
8.957AO 39,594.IXI 30,179.98 18,371.42
4 Fund Purpoxs
Housln8 Executlve support 5ahrle5 of tl* Newlodge Worker