Positive outcome; Curran ends protest

DUNEDIN South MP Clare Curran slept under her own roof last night and so did one of the women for whom she was fighting to find a home.

Ms Curran left her camp in the Octagon after four nights after being told one of two women who was living in emergency accommodation in motels had been offered a private rental property.

The other woman also had ‘‘very strong prospects’’ of renting privately, Ms Curran said.

‘‘It was enough of an outcome for me and for them to ask me to stop the protest and decide they had taken the next step.’’

Kylie Taggart (30), who is 26 weeks pregnant, and Amy Stuart (25) now had much more ‘‘wraparound support’’, she said.

Ms Curran started the protest against the Ministry of Social Development’s treatment of the mothers on Sunday after a statement appeared to blame the pair for their homelessness.

She vowed to camp in the Octagon until the women found appropriate housing.

She was disappointed the women had not been offered state houses.

‘‘I heard they weren’t high enough on the list for a state house and my comment back is how desperate do you have to be to be high enough on the list for a state house?’’

She praised the landlords who had offered to rent the properties to the women despite attacks against their characters on social media.

‘‘They have come under a lot of criticism and their private lives have been exposed and that’s been really really tough.’’

During her protest she had been ‘‘overwhelmed’’ by stories of accommodation struggles from other Dunedin residents and she planned to continue to address the issues that were making housing difficult for many.

margot.taylor@odt.co.nz