Govt to do accommodation stocktake
An emergency housing provider ‘‘stocktake’’ has been ordered by the Government after an Auckland motel received millions in taxpayer funds despite not having a building code of compliance, and allegations of unsanitary conditions.
But while Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni says her ministry will look into the issue, an Auckland advocacy group believes motel monitoring needs to be ramped up in general.
Sepuloni broke her silence yesterday, three days after a Stuff investigation raised serious questions about the suitability and level of service provided by the Auckland Astro Motel in O¯ ta¯huhu.
The motel has been dubbed a ‘‘rat hole not worth a dollar’’ by some who have stayed there. Yet it received $3.1 million in taxpayer funding between October 2016 and June 2018 – $1m more than any other emergency housing provider in the country.
As well as complaints about unsanitary conditions, Stuff’s inquiries also revealed the motel was never signed off as compliant with the building code – an offence under the Building Act.
The 30-unit motel, which is owned by Emergency Services Limited, has been accused by welfare advocates of profiting from the country’s housing crisis.
Sepuloni admitted she had concerns about the Astro and, more broadly, about the quality of accommodation available to those in urgent need.
‘‘I have spoken to [the Ministry of Social Development] who are looking into that and doing a bit of a stocktake on emergency housing,’’ she said at Parliament.
The housing crisis had created situations where some people ‘‘who don’t necessarily have the ethics we would expect’’ provided accommodation that was ‘‘less than adequate for a cost that is through the roof, to be frank’’, she said.
‘‘So some work needs to go on in that space.’’
Emergency housing client Bravewin Faumuina told Stuff the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) was paying the Astro $1250 a week for his room. The carpet in Faumuina’s room was riddled with stains and flies, his sheets had not been changed for three weeks and when he used the bathroom, the smell of human waste wafted up the shower pipe.
Auckland Action on Poverty (AAAP) said the Government needed to ‘‘proactively monitor’’ conditions offered by emergency housing providers.
‘‘It should not take dozens of ignored complaints by people on the benefit and a journalistic investigation for the Government to act on exploitative moteliers, ‘‘ AAAP co-ordinator Ricardo Menendez March said.