Labour puts focus on housing

Andrew Little.
Andrew Little.
Labour has used the Government's discomfort with the housing market to cash in with some announcements of its own on how to take care of people living rough.

In a precursor to a much larger announcement expected on Sunday afternoon, Labour leader Andrew Little announced yesterday Labour would use non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to cover a shortfall in emergency housing.

Quoting University of Otago research, Mr Little said there would be 1400 more emergency accommodation places - enough to put a roof over the heads of 5100 homeless people a year - under Labour's emergency housing policy.

The research estimated 42,000 New Zealanders are homeless and, of those, nearly 4200 are sleeping rough.

Labour would spend $15million a year over four years for more emergency housing so people living in cars or on the street could have a roof over their heads, he said.

The policy, along with Labour's plans to launch a state-backed affordable house-building programme and build more state houses rather than sell them off, would help end homelessness in New Zealand.

"The homeless are at 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 on to the street.''

Typically, people were homeless for a period of a few months.

There was a considerable flow of people in and out of homelessness, Mr Little said.

The additional emergency housing would be enough, over time, to support homeless people into permanent housing.

Prime Minister John Key said previously he would support a move to introduce more tools to control the housing market.

The Government announced $41.1 million in Budget 2016 to boost emergency accommodation, catering for about 3000 a year.

Mr Little said the Government's announcement only funded existing emerging housing.

Labour's policy would increase the number of beds available through community providers.

Add a Comment