FRUSTRATION can take people down many different routes into business, and for one enterprising Derry woman it has led to foundations being laid for 25 new 'micro-homes' in Belfast.
Dearbhaile Heaney (30) was so fed up trying to secure a foothold on the property ladder herself that she decided to set up 'The Holding Project' which aims to build low-cost, sustainable housing for people trapped in the prohibitive private rental market in the city.
Last week, along with fellow 'Holding' team members, Queen's University researcher Sean Cullen and student architect Chris Millar, she launched a crowdfunding drive to raise £30,000 to fund the first prototype home.
The project's bank balance has already been boosted by a 'Building Futures' award of £5,000 from UnLtd, the leading provider of support to social entrepreneurs in the UK, and also by a cheque for £1,000 from the Social Housing Enterprise Award Scheme run by the Housing Executive.
And by last week Dearbhaile - who works with the Prince's Trust as an enterprise executive - had raised another £2,000 towards her final target.
"The crowdfunding initiative is just the start, although I am delighted we have raised over five per cent of the amount so far," she said.
"We are determined that the money will be raised by some means, whether through private backers or public grants.
"There is such a groundswell of positivity surrounding this project and such phenomenal feedback from people who want - need - it to succeed, that it keeps us going."
Frustration also keeps her 'going', as she is still on the rental 'loop' like many young professionals her age.
"There are so many young professionals, particularly in Belfast, who are currently unable to buy their own home and having to rent in order to work and having to work in order to pay the rent," she said.
"I was one of them - and still am. I have spent eight years working and renting accommodation in Dublin, Belfast and Derry, wherever I was working at the time, and many others in the 20-40 age bracket are in exactly the same frustrating position.
"At the Holding Project, we are aiming to break that cycle and give people, who don't have access to the 'Bank of mum and dad', the chance to get a 'leg up'."
The ethos of the innovative project is rooted in building modern, eco-friendly, "back-to-basics" homes which are then rented to suitable candidates at lower cost, allowing them to save at the same time as paying to keep a roof over their heads.
"Each resident will pay rent, a pre-determined percentage of which will be kept by The Holding Project," Dearbhaile explained.
"When they leave, after two-to-three years maximum, they gain access to their funds again, allowing the opportunity to travel, start a business or put towards that all-important house deposit.
"We will either operate as a social enterprise or community interest company which functions like a normal company and can be limited by guarantee."
With regard to design, the homes will have cost-efficiency in mind, with solar panels, insulation and rainwater collection techniques currently under consideration.
Similarly, they will be "space efficient", consisting of one bedroom with raised level 'loft' for sleeping.
"There is really nothing like this in Northern Ireland at the moment, so we are all very excited about seeing the project come to fruition," Dearbhaile added.
"In other countries, including Scandinavia, and in cities like London, some attempts have been made to bridge the gap by converting shipping containers into temporary homes, and there is an ecological co-housing project in Leeds made from straw bale insulation panels.
"But in Belfast, at the moment, there are just high rental costs and ongoing problems with landlords."
The Housing Executive has invested £460,000 in social enterprises across Northern Ireland and last year launched its Social Housing Enterprise Award scheme, with Dearbhaile one of the recipients in the 'business start-up' category.
Various levels of funding were available, from grants of up to £50,000 for three established businesses, to 26 education grants, each worth £500.
