Wait-list growing for a roof overhead

The Herald continues its series on the defining election policies. Today, Isaac Davison reports on social housing

Social housing has gone through the biggest changes in 40 years under the National-led Government. It put an end to the idea of a state house for life, reviewed tens of thousands of tenancies, and began reshuffling more than a third of its homes into the places they were needed most.

In perhaps the most significant change, it began transferring hundreds of state houses to nongovernment organisations. It extended rent subsidies to these organisations, so that tenants paid no more than 25 per cent of the market rent.

The idea behind the major shift in policy was to help build up the community housing sector so it could play a greater role in housing New Zealand’s most needy tenants. It followed National’s core beliefs — that the non-government sector can do as well, or better, than the state, and that giving people discounted houses indefinitely without social support creates dependence without notably improving lives.

In reality, the policy of growing nongovernment social housing is yet to take flight. National’s goal was to lift community housing from 6 per cent of all social housing to 20 per cent within five years. Three and a half years on, the sector still makes up less than 10 per cent of all social housing.

If Labour gets into power this month, it is promising to reverse many of the changes.

Under National, the number of state houses has fallen from 67,000 to about 63,000 — or 65,000 if the number of state-funded social houses is counted. The official waiting list for a state house is up from 2700 in 2007 to 5300. The Government has committed more funding to subsidise rent on social houses, but there are not enough available houses for the