Te Kaiawhina Ahumahi – Social Services Industry Training organisation
No long-term cheer in Affordable Housing Bill
The Affordable Housing Enabling Territorial Authorities Bill has been introduced in Parliament this week. As it stands
the Bill will not eliminate poverty for any sizable group of people because:
· it is not linked to cheap govt loans or mortgages
· it is not mandatory
· the scheme relies on developers and relatively small incentives
· there are no targets and therefore no real commitment
Is it a step in the right direction? Yes. But such small steps are a worry when bigger ones could have been made. When
is the major commitment to reducing poverty going to come?
See column below.
Who's making the connection between strong families and housing?
Houses are more than bricks and mortar. They are places that young people call home. Places where lessons are learnt and
identities are formed. Houses don't exist in isolation but in large groups – those things we sometimes call communities.
Yet the chances of young families being able to own their own homes is crumbling like sand castles on a beach, just as
quickly as an expanding private rental environment looks set to entrench expensive short-term tenure and over-crowding.
Permanent, affordable housing translates to stability, sustenance, security and a place where families build their sense
of belonging.
Every significant report this year, from the Quality of Life report to Ministry of Social Development reports, points to
a growing economic disparity between peoples in this country that is putting affordable housing out of reach for whole
new generations: Maori and Pacific peoples in particular.
There is a connection or at least a challenge for the governments 'strengthening families' strategy. Namely how can
families get stronger without affordable housing. Achieving better coordination between welfare agencies might be part
of the answer, but the uphill efforts to combat poverty, social isolation and ill-health only become steeper if
affordable housing is left out of the equation.
Creating stability and social cohesiveness must surely be at the heart of any government agenda. Yet, as a society New
Zealand has not committed the necessary resources to ensure that new generations of families have permanence in
communities. Where is the national strategy for affordable housing, with targets to be met regionally? Why do we have
only isolated pockets of relief for a very small minority instead?
For those of us lucky to have holidays at the beach this summer, we could also take some time to reflect on what
strengthening families means for the rest of the year back in our home towns and cities – and how the strength of any
family in our communities depends on having a secure, affordable roof over our heads.
ENDS