Housing for elderly an ‘urgent issue’

A Taranaki council is to revisit its pensioner housing policy in a time of ‘‘crisis’’, after hearing about one elderly man who fears he will be in his derelict house when it ‘‘blows over’’ this winter.

Although the Stratford District Council’s housing for the elderly policy is not up for review for another two years, councillors this week decided to look at it again in the coming months.

‘‘This is crisis stuff,’’ Mayor Neil Volzke said. ‘‘It is a really urgent issue right now.’’

According to Te Tu¯ a¯ papa Kura Ka¯ inga Ministry of Housing and Urban Development figures from December 2019 to December 2020, Stratford, which has a population of just under 10,000, went from seven people on the housing register to 32. Public housing tenancies remained at 38 in that time, with emergency housing grants rising from 10 to 35 – a jump from $8440 to $36,626.

At the council’s policy and services committee meeting on Tuesday, Volzke said a ratepayer who owned his own home freehold had got in touch, as the property was not in the best shape. ‘‘He is convinced it will blow over this coming winter.’’

The man told Volzke he could sell his property for about $150,000 and it could be developed into three units. But part of the council’s current criteria said elderly people who were eligible for housing couldn’t have more than $150,000 in cash or other assets, Volzke said. ‘‘He’s stuck.’’

Other aspects of the criteria include being over 65, living in the district or having family there, and not getting National Superannuation or making more than the adult minimum wage for a 40-hour week.

Volzke had previously shared his concerns about the small district’s surge, and asked the meeting if the current criteria were still valid or should be revisited.

Deputy mayor Alan Jamieson said he thought the criteria were already relatively flexible.

Corporate services director Tiffany Radich said there were 50 people on the waiting list who met the criteria, and it was a matter of ‘‘first in, first served’’. Volzke asked if this was appropriate, or if people’s needs should be assessed after they met the criteria.

Assets director Victoria Araba said there was a chance that the first five people on the waiting list may have been waiting five or 10 years.

Chief executive Sven Hanne said the council could bring forward revisiting the policy if it wished. Volzke said he wanted to do this, and councillor Jono Erwood seconded. ‘‘It’s not a problem for 2023 - it’s a problem now,’’ Volzke said.