Media Release - Housing in Christchurch

Christchurch Housing Summit organiser, City Councillor Glenn Livingstone, is welcoming the news from the Department of Building and Housing announcing an investigation into the habitability, affordability and availability of housing in Christchurch.

"The intention of the Housing Summits has been to identify the specific housing issues facing the city post-earthquake and then to identify the specific solutions to address those issues. Part of identifying the solutions lies in gathering hard data and I am pleased that the Department of Building and Housing is going to do that", Councillor Livingstone says.

The Department of Building and Housing's research project will be to 'better understand the scope and scale of overcrowding and homelessness in Christchurch'. "Unfortunately, there will be plenty of evidence to support the information that is being sought. Attendees at the Housing Summits have known for some time the reality facing Christchurch. Given that the Department of Statistics definition of homelessness applies to those in the residential red zones (in the legal domain of the definition, this applies to those without exclusive possession of their home and security of tenure) and arguably many of those in the Green/Blue zones, the problem of overcrowding and homelessness, by definition, is more extensive than many will realise", Livingstone says.

"I am pleased that Minister Brownlee is supporting the research project. I can understand the need for quantitative as well as qualitative data and I am sure that this project will provide that. In working together we will be able to make progress on this critical issue".

ENDS

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