Simon O'Connor - Housing (Social)

23 January 2020

The spend on emergency housing has risen 440 per cent since the Government took office, leaving more Kiwis living in motels, National’s Social Housing spokesperson Simon O’Connor says.

“Today’s benefit statistics are damning. The spend on emergency housing grants has gone from $9 million in the three months before National left office to $48 million in the three months to December.

“The public housing waiting list is at a record high because the Government’s poor housing policies have forced families out of their homes.

“Many motel owners are feeling the pressure of having to accommodate large numbers of homeless Kiwis.

“We’re in this mess today because the Government’s poor policies have scared off landlords and driven up rents by more than $50 per week.

“Landlords are leaving the market because the Government imposed more costly regulations and threatened a Capital Gains Tax. It also extended the bright-line test for selling and ring-fenced tax-related losses on rental properties.

“It’s clear to see why so many Kiwis are struggling to afford a home under this Government.

“National will prioritise our most vulnerable Kiwis by throwing our weight behind community housing providers and introducing a target to reduce the time it takes MSD to house Priority-A clients on the social housing register.”

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