A more effective alternative Advocacy From the response to a question posed in March 2010 to the Minister for Social Seven Towers’ residents held a series of Development by a member of the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly, PPR learned that: meetings with NIHE and in September - NIHE was using a more efficient (natural gas) heating system in many other social 2011 met with the Minister for Social housing units in Northern Ireland; Development to discuss alternatives to - The average cost per unit of replacing the type of heating system used in the the cladding proposal, ones that would be Seven Towers with the natural gas system was £5,204 (approx. US$7,900); and more effective in addressing the problems - The average annual savings in heating costs as a result of the switch would be of damp and cold. Although their evidence £193 (US$ 293) per unit. PPR, using these figures together with information on the number of flats in the Seven Towers (384) calculated that: - It would cost approximately £1,998,336 (approx. US$3m) to replace the existing heating system with the natural gas system. This amounted to 28 percent of the cost of the cladding plan; and - Altogether, Seven Towers’ residents would save £74,112 in heating costs (approx. US$112,600). The Seven Towers’ residents and PPR concluded that the government, by investing in a project that would not be effective in addressing the issues of habitability and affordability, was sound, the Minister rejected their suggestion, saying that the cladding would proceed as planned. While the residents have not yet managed to have their demands met, their advocacy has succeeded in forcing NIHE to assess its plans in light of the residents’ needs and rights with regard to housing. The budget analysis also enabled the campaign to put forward an effective alternative to the cladding proposal. was failing to use the maximum of available resources to realize their right to housing. The cladding of the Seven Towers had not Spending is likely to be more effective in advancing people’s rights if it is directed to programs and projects that have been shown by evidence (gathered through research, surveys, etc.) to have made a positive difference in advancing those rights. Government must be able to show that the plans, projects and programs it is proposing are based on such evidence. yet begun as of June 2013. The Seven Towers Residents Group and PPR will continue to monitor the project and to demand through a multi-faceted campaign that their right to housing be realized.