Emergency motel stays ‘at a peak’

Social Housing Minister Amy Adams says emergency motel stays for those in dire need of housing are finally dropping off.

The government scheme was introduced in 2016 with an annual budget of $2 million, which was immediately blown out.

The budget and number of grants have increased every quarter, reaching $12.6m in April to June, up from $8.8m in the first three months of the year. This paid for 9218 grants for seven-day stays at motels.

Many expect the July to September quarter to be even worse, but Adams said yesterday they are wrong: the motel stays have peaked.

‘‘While we’ve spent a lot in the last quarter, we’re also seeing that that has peaked now, and there are some really pretty good signs that that is dropping, which is exactly what we expected,’’ Adams said.

She said a ‘‘ramp up’’ in transitional housing - homes for people to stay in while waiting for social housing - had finally cut into the rise in motel stays.

‘‘This is exactly what we wanted to happen but it takes time to build 1400-odd transitional houses, and the motel grants have been a way for us to bridge that.’’

She was already seeing a dropoff of about 100 families a week since the peak in the past quarter.

Labour housing spokesman Phil Twyford said he would believe any drop off when he saw it.

‘‘We are only 26 days into this new quarter, and we’ve seen a massive blowout in every other quarter.

‘‘I think straws.’’

Twyford said people were not angry at the motel stays themselves - they were angry that they were necessary. she’s clutching at