April 29, 2024
Social housing shake-up starts
Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says from tomorrow whānau with tamariki growing up in emergency housing motels will be prioritised for social housing.
The Ministry of Social Development will put those whānau who have been in emergency housing for longer than 12 weeks to the top of the waitlist.
About 60 percent of the 3100 households and 3186 tamariki in emergency housing last December has been there for more than 12 weeks.
Mr Potaka says giving those whānau a better opportunity to build healthy stable lives for themselves and future generations is an essential part of the Government’s goal of reducing the number of households in emergency housing by 75 per cent by 2030.
More than half the whānau in emergency housing are Māori.
Mr Potaka says the Government will clarify the eligibility process, restart reviews of current tenancies to ensure social housing is there for those who most need it, and ensuring more houses are built overall as part of National’s Going for Housing Growth initiative.