The Peace Bridge across the River Foyle in Derry, Northern Ireland
Image: Istock
PEACEPLUS Common Ground project
How a €3 million housing association-led project aims to support community cohesion, peace and prosperity across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland
GROWTH, REGENERATION & DEVELOPMENT
Sally McCone
Business and Corporate Services Director, NIFHA Housing Federation
Sally McCone
Business and Corporate Services Director, NIFHA Housing Federation
Issue 80 | October 2025
The Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations (NIFHA), alongside its seven project partners, has received €3.049 million of EU Funding through the PEACEPLUS programme, which is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), to deliver the Common Ground project.
Project aim
The Common Ground project aims to promote and improve community integration and create opportunities for sustained, meaningful and purposeful contact across cultural and national identities in communities across Northern Ireland and the Border Region of Ireland.
In particular, the project will engage with ‘newcomer communities’ across Northern Ireland and the Border Counties to help and support their integration into the community and enhance understanding, acceptance and connections between people indigenous to Northern Ireland and the Border Counties and people who have come to these regions from other countries and who are from different cultures.
Common Ground project partners:
- NIFHA (Lead Partner)
- Irish Council for Social Housing
- Apex Housing Association
- Choice Housing Association
- Clanmil Housing Association
- Radius Housing Association
- Rural Housing Association
- Woven Housing Association
The project will deliver four main strands of work:
01
Community Leadership Programme:
Developing 100 new community leaders through completion of accredited/non-accredited qualifications, experiential learning and development of joint solutions to common challenges.
02
Heritage, Culture and Arts Programme:
Engaging 2,700 participants across 12 unique geographical sub-regions in projects focused on heritage, culture and arts. These programmes will be needs-based and co-designed with communities – focusing on cultivating connections, building cultural awareness, promoting positive dialogue and exploring civic responsibilities – working to reduce stigma, build understanding and promote positive relationships.
03
Capacity Building/Social Enterprise Programme:
Focused on providing accredited social enterprise training to 100 people and delivering community development/good relations, social enterprise and carbon literacy training to 1,000 staff/personnel working in the social housing sector across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
04
Networking/Showcasing Events:
Focused on delivering several events per year (engaging 900 people), showcasing key learning from the Common Ground project to wider stakeholders, showing the relevancy and power of a cross-border/cross-community project with housing as a key contributor in uniting communities.
“The Common Ground project aims to promote and improve community integration and create opportunities for sustained, meaningful and purposeful contact across cultural and national identities.”
Get involved
Housing Associations across NI and RoI Border Counties are encouraged to be involved in the activities of the project and will be engaged with by the project team when in place.
Project partners have been in recruitment mode in recent months for project posts, with the Project Coordinator due to start on 1 November 2025 and all other project staff to commence on 1 December 2025
There will be opportunities for training providers across the above strands to contract their services to the Common Ground project. For any expressions of interest, email smccone@nifha.org.
“Housing Associations across NI and RoI Border Counties are encouraged to be involved in the activities of the project.”
