SHAN to picket IHC National Office

13 December 2015

SHAN supporters will picket the National Office of the IHC tomorrow in protest at IHC plans to buy state houses from the government.

The picket will be from 12 noon to 2pm at 54 – 60 Willis Street, Wellington on Monday 14th December.

The picket will be led by the Wellington SHAN group.

“We are appalled that IHC are helping the National government hand over responsibility for housing for families on low incomes to private sector groups.”

“IHC is colluding in the betrayal of the most vulnerable families in New Zealand”

IHC is first in line to buy more than 1000 of the 1140 state houses the government intends to sell in Tauranga. (The government also intends selling another 370 in Invercargill)

“Not only is this a betrayal of state house tenants but it is also a slap in the face for the tens of thousands of families who desperately need state houses.”

The government is the only organisation which has the resources and the capacity to meet the housing needs of New Zealand families struggling on low incomes. The government can borrow money more cheaply and use economies of scale to keep the cost of quality, affordable housing as low as possible for New Zealand families for whom the market has been a failure.

“The government is walking away from their responsibility and IHC is giving them a helping hand to do so”

“We want the public to know that this once proud organisation, IHC, has become an eager collaborator in one of the National government’s most despicable policies”

IHC would not support Victorian-era approaches and attitudes to people with disabilities so neither should they support the National government returning housing for low-income families to Victorian times when the only options were charities and churches.

There is a housing crisis for tenants and families on low incomes. New Zealand has faced such crises in the past and the government has stepped in to build large numbers of state rental houses. It must do so again.

If IHC wants to retain public respect and confidence it must withdraw from any deal to purchase state houses.

ENDS

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