HNZ: Tenants not evicted to make way for refugees

Rumours that social housing tenants were evicted from their homes to make way for refugee families are "completely unfounded'', a Housing New Zealand spokesman says.

Housing NZ communications manager Glenn Conway said the claims - which had been circulating on social media - were "completely false''.

"We just wouldn't kick out families to put other families in there. That's just nonsense.''

The first group of 45 Syrian refugees arrived in April and had been housed in 13 three- or four-bedroom Housing NZ properties around the city that were "already sitting empty'', Mr Conway said.

Many of the 13 properties were offered to the families. They were already vacant due to ongoing low demand for that type of property, he said.

Some of the properties had been potential houses for Housing

New Zealand's divestment programme, but were then pulled out of the programme to accommodate families who needed houses of that size.

`We have always bought and sold houses in response to changing tenants' needs and demographics over time.''

Mr Conway added that although it did have an eviction process for tenants who had been causing damage to houses, Housing NZ would not remove families just to house other tenants.

He said the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) assessed all Housing NZ applicants and decided who should have priority.

Mr Conway said Housing NZ had worked with a variety of organisations to house the refugees and was "pleased'' to have been part of the support process.

Red Cross southern humanitarian services manager Sue Price said she had not heard the rumours.

The first group of refugees was settling in well after almost five weeks and had begun an orientation programme as well as classes with English language partners.

The next group of refugees would arrive from the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre in Auckland on Friday, June 17.

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