Andrew Little
Leader of the Opposition

7 July 2016

Labour to house 5100 more homeless a year

There would be 1400 new emergency accommodation places – enough to put a roof over the heads of 5100 homeless people a year – under Labour’s emergency housing policy announced today, Opposition Leader Andrew Little says.

“Too many of our families will spend this winter living in cars, couch surfing or cramped into the lounges and garages of relatives. It is a disgrace.

“A Labour Government will provide an additional $60 million over four years for supported transitional accommodation to help get people off the streets and into warm, dry temporary housing.

“That will provide 1400 beds or 5100 places a year which – along with current provisions – will bring the total emergency housing available to 8,100 with 2,200 beds at any given time.

“Recent Otago University research estimated there are 42,000 homeless people throughout the country and of those, almost 4,200 are sleeping rough.

“This policy – along with Labour’s plans to launch a massive state-backed affordable house building programme and build more state houses rather than sell them off – will help end homelessness in New Zealand.

“The homeless are the sharp end of the Government’s housing crisis. National has spent years turning a blind eye as skyrocketing rents pushed people out of their homes and onto the street.

“Labour will help them get a roof over their heads and back on their feet,” Andrew Little says.

Attached: Emergency Housing Fact Sheet

ENDS

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