Lack of support kills successful emergency housing

Manurewa MP Louisa Wall says she can’t understand why the Government can allow a marae-based homeless support scheme to close at the same time it is announcing a $300 million boost for emergency housing.

Manurewa Marae says it is closing its doors today because the Ministry for Social Development refused to extend support, and continuing would have put other programmes at risk.

Ms Wall says Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett has some explaining to do.

"This is about housing those people that are vulnerable as she talks about in the challenges for some of our whanau, particularly our Maori whanau because I think the marae provided a really safe place for us to come together and acknowledge we needed housing support. It's quite outrageous that it's closing due to lack of support from the government," she says.

Louisa Wall says the Manurewa Marae had provided a focus for volunteers and had also been drawing donations of food and other support from local businesses.

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