The REAL Housing Affordability Problem
By | Oct 9, 2008
Housing affordability is not just about home ownership - it’s also about people who may never own a house and who experience often extreme housing needs every day. Those people include people in need of emergency housing, those on state housing waiting lists, people without secure private sector tenancies, the homeless and families and children who live in sub-standard housing.
This is the “real housing affordability problem” highlighted in the latest instalment of the social justice information series being published by the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services (NZCCSS ).
Let us all keep the focus on those in greatest need and those who might otherwise be invisible in the debate about ‘housing affordability’, says Trevor McGlinchey, NZCCSS Executive Officer.
The negative impact that poor quality housing has on families and children remains a major issue in Aotearoa New Zealand. Steps being taken to improve the quality of state houses are welcomed, but we also have to face issues such as the unmet demand for a greater quantity of both state (social) housing and housing funded through community based solutions such as housing trusts.
When political candidates in the upcoming Election are questioned about housing, we believe more questions need to be asked of them about housing issues beyond the ‘Kiwi dream’ of home ownership. We need to do more to protect the basic human right to adequate housing.
NZCCSS is providing relevant links and access to more information about housing issues. [Read More]
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Anne
October 13th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
There’s a good documentary that came out this year on homelessness in New Zealand earlier in the year. It’s about half an hour long, and really worth watching. I think heaps of us have no idea that homelessness even really exists in Aotearoa. I know I didn’t till a couple of years ago.
If anyone wants a copy, give me an email at justice.assistant@anglican.org.nz and I’ll try to track some copies down. It’s an excellent short doco to show at a church service.
Trailer available at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tj3UJOVuExU