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The public housing waiting list is up 53 percent from last year, with more than 21,000 people waiting to own a home and waiting an average of 242 days.
Stock image of a house. Source: 1 NEWS
It’s a 16 percent change from June, with 2,895 more people on the waiting list.
There were 13,966 people on the list at the same time last year, 9,536 in 2018 and 5,844 in 2017. The time it took to house people on the waiting list has also increased, averaging 242 days, 53 more than a year ago. year and 99 days more than in 2018.
The number of people on the list deemed ‘at risk’ with a severe and persistent need for housing has also continued to rise, with 90 percent of applicants in that category, compared to 86 percent in the same period last year. past and 76 percent in 2018.
There were 7,505 new people on the waiting list between June and September, while 1,878 people were housed during that time and 1,900 public housing ended.
Of the 21,415 people enrolled in the Housing Registry in the September 2020 quarter, 50% were Maori, 23% were European New Zealanders, and 13% were Pacific peoples.
The largest age group on the list was 25-29 years old, which made up 40 percent, and 26 percent were between 40 and 54 years old.
Most were single people (51%) and single parents (34%).
National housing spokesperson Nicola Willis called the increase “a sad indictment of Labor’s inability to overcome New Zealand’s housing problems.”
“These are people who are seen as having a severe and persistent need for housing,” he said.
“More than a third of them are families with children.”
Associate Housing Minister Poto Williams said there is an expectation to be met, “and we are, but the reality is that we are catching up.”
He said the projection of 2,569 new public housing for 2020/21 “shows that our ambitious public housing program continues to work.”
“We want to make sure that people in need have access to warm, dry and safe accommodation.”
