“There are 400 times more Kiwis residing in emergency housing for a year or more than there were three years ago, ‘emergency’ housing has become the status quo under Labour,” says ACT Deputy Leader and Housing spokesperson Brooke van Velden.

“Written Parliamentary Questions released to ACT show that in the last three years the number of adults spending more than 52 weeks in emergency housing has blown out from only three in June 2018 to 1,200 in June 2022. Those staying 44-51 consecutive weeks in emergency housing has gone from 0 to 423 as well.

“The maximum number of consecutive weeks spent in emergency housing has more than tripled from 53 in 2018, to 174, more than three years, in 2022. The average length of stay has gone from a month in 2018 to almost four months in 2022.

“Emergency housing is meant to be a short-term measure, but since Labour has no ideas for housing it has become the crutch they rely on.

“Buying motels and filling them with people won’t solve the housing crisis. We need long term, sustainable solutions.

“My Member’s Bill currently before Parliament would create a GST-sharing scheme estimated to deliver $1 billion every year to support local development enabling infrastructure, but councils that consent more, get more.

“ACT would also scrap the Resource Management Act, replacing it with a new Urban Development Act that respects existing property rights while making it easier to increase housing supply.

“It’s time for the Government to start treating taxpayers with some respect and start coming up with solutions that will actually solve the housing crisis. Motels aren’t the answer.”

WPQs 31935 and 32274 found here.

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