TWO prominent Lenadoon women have helped the Housing Executive mark its 50th birthday by taking part in a special video project.
Community stalwarts Renee Crawford and Christine McAuley, who have strong track records of grassroots activity, recalled their experiences in the area for special videos hosted on the Housing Executive’s social media sites.
The establishment of the Housing Executive is considered one the key victories of the North's Civil Rights movement in its campaign for housing equality. Its foundation in 1971 helped roll back on discrimination against Catholics in housing allocation by the unionist-dominated government of the day.
Christine McAuley has been a proud Housing Executive tenant for nearly five decades and first moved to Lenadoon in the early 1970’s.
Christine was a working mum in a local school and co-ordinator in Glen Parent Youth and Community Group, raising her children through the darkest days of the Troubles.
“Life was dangerous here back then”, said the great grandmother.
“I would have looked out of my home and seen tracer bullets – I’ve had bullets in this house from the top of the estate that were shot down.
“The second time my house was hit – I was at the shop with the kids, you just learned to live with it.”
Life has changed tremendously since then, with Christine describing today as “almost unrecognisable” from the way it once was.
She joined Mid-Lenadoon Housing Group, where she built up a good rapport with the Housing Executive.
Christine McAuley
“Joining different groups in the area meant you weren’t isolated - I’m part of a craft class and I’m learning how to work a tablet – there is support for everyone," she enthused.
"The Housing Executive has supported me greatly over the years and this helped with being on the housing committee where we met once a month.
“Now we regularly see Housing Executive vans in the area and this year I got a new kitchen and bathroom fitted.”
Renee Crawford is one of the best-known faces in Lenadoon and thrives when she is helping others.
A mum-of-four and a busy grandmother, Renee moved to the area in 1971 and was a Housing Executive tenant before purchasing her home.
As Strategic Development Co-Ordinator for Lenadoon Community Forum, she helps to ensure locals are up-to-date with housing issues through regular community engagement and the quarterly magazine, Lenadoon Community News.
Reflecting on the Troubles in Lenadoon, Renee spoke about living through “unpredictable” times.
“A lot of services were restricted then and you looked after yourself," she said.
“You took what you got at the time and everyone at one stage ended up with donkey brown paint.
“It was strange times, frightening times but the community spirit and people helping was second to none.”
A community conference took place in May 1992 and Lenadoon Community Forum evolved as an umbrella organisation, which has tackled the issues affecting the area ever since.
Renee also spoke about how the Housing Executive assisted Lenadoon residents during the Covid-19 crisis, as her group were able to draw on its special Response Fund.
"From the Forum’s point of view, a lot of statutory agencies stepped back then, but the Housing Executive stepped forward," she said.
“We could access the grant and we were able to purchase non-food items that were delivered as part of food parcels to homes, and we also rang families who were isolated and made contact with them,”
She said the Housing Executive has evolved over the years – due to its ongoing investment in community life.
“The legacy of its work has to be the community partnership which is central," she stated.
“The Housing Executive needs to continue to do this and listen to the voice of tenants and it needs to be fit for purpose to face any challenges ahead”.
