Wait for social housing

WHILE Mayor Dave Cull and the

Otago Chamber of Commerce are ‘‘riding a wave’’ in the surge in population numbers, many others are queuing up to get into social housing (ODT, 24.10.18).

I know a solo mother in emergency shelter with two children in tow, both under 5, who are still waiting to get into decent housing.

It appears the social housing shortage came about when Dunedin saw a population jump in 2016 and 2017, a total of 500, when two waves of refugees were resettled here. Dunedin’s designation as a refugee centre may have ‘‘culturally enriched’’ a select few, but it is being done at the expense of our own citizens in need.

With a projected 160 refugees per year, city councillor Hawkins knows this city has already met full capacity but he and others cannot afford to admit to any correlation between refugee resettlement and the current social housing crisis (ODT, 21.9.18).

Mayor Cull et al have steered this into a disaster. But let’s be clear. I am not begrudging the important need for refugees to find a home, especially when there are children involved.

This is not about ‘‘refugee bashing’’, but rather council bashing. All the same, I don’t see these same councillors being ‘‘proactive’’ and opening their arms and homes to Dunedin’s own homeless.

Charity begins at home.

Irian Scott Port Chalmers