Plan ‘not enough’ to relieve housing crisis

Forty state and social houses are planned for Invercargill, but some community leaders say they won’t be enough to ease accommodation woes.

On August 24, the Government announced that 6400 additional houses would be built across New Zealand by June 2022.

Invercargill has five of these houses already in the pipeline from Housing New Zealand (HNZ), with possibly another 35 to come from either it or the Community Housing Project. It is proposed these will be 18 onebedroom, 13 two-bedroom and four three-bedroom houses.

While it was seen as a muchneeded solution in the long term, there was concern expressed about how some people suffering in an extreme housing shortage would fare in the short term.

Housing advocate Margaret Cook, of the Southland Community Housing Group, which was set up to report back to the Invercargill City Council on housing deficits, said the housing plan was welcome news.

‘‘It’s the best news we’ve had in nine years.’’

But until those houses were built ‘‘we will struggle’’, she said.

‘‘We have got some shocking housing stock with people living in atrocious conditions.’’

Invercargill-based Labour list MP Liz Craig said it was ‘‘fantastic news’’, but 40 houses alone would not be enough to address the housing crisis.

As a result, the Ministry for Social Development is also funding organisations like the Salvation Army to provide transitional housing.

The only long-term solution was to build more houses, she said.

‘‘A lack of affordable houses has meant that every week I’m hearing from people who are struggling to find a decent place to live.’’

Invercargill has 356 houses managed by HNZ, the country’s largest social housing landlord.

The ministry’s June quarterly report stated there was a wait list of 59 people for social housing in Invercargill, up on March when Stuff reported 53 people and families, compared with 22 in 2017, and 11 in 2016 for that period.

Not all of the HNZ houses are available all the time. A spokesman said that, as of June 30, there were 11 vacant properties for a variety of reasons. Six were undergoing routine repairs between tenancies and were likely to have been re-tenanted already. The others were vacant pending a decision on the future use of two homes, while three were undergoing maintenance.

It is proposed that the Clutha district will get five one-bedroom houses out of the 105 houses in the plan, with the Queenstown Lakes to also receive five, and Dunedin 55.

Clutha district mayor Bryan Cadogan said lack of accommodation was the ‘‘single greatest impediment to growth in the district’’.

‘‘We really appreciate the support. For the first time in living memory we’ve had something tangible, so we’re really rapt.’’

‘‘We have got some shocking housing stock with people living in atrocious conditions.’’ Housing advocate Margaret Cook