Methodist Mission praises City Council’s rent freeze

The Christchurch Methodist Mission congratulates the Christchurch City Council’s decision to hold rents on its social housing at current levels.

“When the City Council proposed a 24 percent increase in its social housing rents in 2008, the Methodist Mission spoke out against it. Today we are saluting the Council,” Mary Richardson says.

“Recent figures indicate private residential rents have jumped 15 percent in Christchurch, and in many cases the increases have been greater than this. This has imposed serious hardship on many families.

“The Council is such a large landlord in the city that, by keeping a lid on its rents, it may influence market rates.”

Mary Richardson encourages the Council to quickly rebuild the 15 percent of is City Housing units that have been made uninhabitable by the earthquakes.

The Methodist Mission’s ‘Better City’ initiative sets out strategies Christchurch can use to support vulnerable people during the rebuild. Affordable housing is a key issue because it affects the people of most concern to Methodist Mission, including the city’s youngest and oldest citizens.

The Mission is urging central and local government to build more social housing that will give families, older people, and those with disabilities the chance live in safe communities with affordable rents and secure tenure.

ENDS

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