Government Keeps Homeless Families On The Street

Monday 13 Jan 2003 Dr Muriel Newman Press Releases -- Social Welfare

ACT New Zealand Social Welfare Spokesman Dr Muriel Newman today accused the Labour Government of creating Auckland's housing crisis.

"The appalling situation, where people are forced to live in cars due to a lack of available emergency housing, is a direct result of the Government's own ill-advised, income-related rents policy," Dr Newman said.

"The introduction of income-related rents means that state housing tenants no longer move on. Why would they leave a house with a rent as low as $40 when market rents are up to six times higher than that?

"Parliamentary questions late last year showed that more than 10,000 people throughout New Zealand were waiting for state houses. More than 143 of these were critical cases, and 3,995 of those waiting to be housed were in serious need. Yet, at the same time, some tenants had lived in the same state house for more than 40 years.

"The highest valued state house, worth $697,000, had been rented by one family for 32 years - for a mere $58 a week.

"The Government must urgently introduce time limits for state houses, to ensure that those with lower needs can move on and make way for families with children in desperate circumstances.

"The Government's flawed housing policy is now proving detrimental to the country, harming our society's most vulnerable people. This is unacceptable," said Dr Newman.

ENDS

For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at act@parliament.govt.nz.

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