Housing Initiatives at Risk
It was announced recently by housing minister Phil Heatley that he is boosting the HIF fund from $12m to $20m. The proposal was initially welcomed, although Sue Bradford the Green Party housing spokesperson has suggested that the extra money may — in effect — be taken from the Rural Housing Programme, and that the RHP is in fact going to disappear altogether. “This is simply smoke and mirrors, giving with one hand and taking away with the other… We are also apprehensive that the Minister plans to cut all HIF funding for feasibility studies and infrastructure capacity in the community housing sector, which means almost all groups will risk going under very quickly.”
WHAT ARE THESE FUNDS?
HIF – The Housing Innovation Fund. The HIF provides funding support for community sector and iwi housing organisations. The fund is administered by Housing NZ and aims to provide social housing that targets:
* households whose housing needs are not fully met by Housing New Zealand or the private market, such as Māori and Pacific peoples, older people and people with disabilities * low or moderate-income households whose housing needs are not met in the private market but for whom no suitable alternative exists.”
RHP – The Rural Housing Program. Also administered by Housing NZ the RHP provides funds to help repair substandard housing in rural districts.
It is possible to find the discussions in the house between Phil Heatley and Sue Bradford on the Parliament website here. The conversation didn’t appear to be as conclusive as Sue Bradford feared (although that is perhaps not surprising when everything in the house has a tone of attack and defend). Yet anything that even hints at cuts to opportunity for improvement to substandard housing for low income families is a concern.
What caught my eye about this story was the possibilities that exist for churches to get involved in securing funds for housing estates and substandard living areas in their neighborhoods. There are a few other trusts out there who also provide financial help for things like insulation. One thing is clear, advocating, getting funding, and getting work done in an area is easier if you have a group involved. Does anyone out there know of a church involved in these areas?
Comments via Facebook