We should not have homelessness in a country with empty homes

There is a direct link between the increase in homelessness and the government’s neoliberal housing agenda.

There are empty state houses all over Aotearoa which are waiting to be demolished, removed or sold to private developers who can make a profit from the land they sit on. All the while, 1 in 120 New Zealanders are homeless and unable to get access to suitable affordable accommodation to meet their needs.

Hundreds of state housing tenants have been evicted with 90 day notices since the government begun the social housing reforms in 2013 and many had been evicted prior to this under redevelopment plans or Housing New Zealand’s anti-social policy.

Reviewable Tenancies means tenants are forced into the private market, and consequently forced from their communities in search of affordable accommodation.

Many tenants will find it difficult to find accommodation in the private market due to discrimination from landlords.

The government frame the housing crisis as one of supply, however their solutions have been to privatise state housing and subsidise developers to build private ‘affordable’ accommodation for the middle-class. This is not building supply for those in the most need.

The Tāmaki Housing Group have counted over 50 empty state homes in Glen Innes alone, while recent news stories have revealed the significant amount of empty homes across the country.

All people deserve shelter and deserve to stay in the communities that they collectively created. There is no need for homelessness in a country with empty homes.

The government's urban renewal strategy coupled with the transfer of state housing to private providers will increase the rates of displacement and insecurity.

ENDS

© Scoop Media