More comment from emergency housing providers and the homeless are found in the media here.
Radio New Zealand ‘out-of-touch’-on-auckland-housing-labour
radionz life-in-an-overcrowded,-cold-home
radionz.co.nz social-workers-on-the-frontline-of-auckland’s-housing-crisis
tvnz.co.nz/one-news john-key-labelled-touch-telling-homeless-aucklanders-go-winz
newshub govt-auckland-council-at-odds-over-housing
And in this New Zealand Herald report John Key says it was difficult to tell whether the number of homeless in New Zealand was growing.
He had been advised that 428 people had told Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ) that they were homeless in March, but the data had gaps because it relied on self-reporting.
“A lot of what we see is anecdotal,” Mr Key said. “[It] doesn’t mean there aren’t bigger numbers, I accept there may well be, but no one has absolutely perfect information on that.”
The Government has allocated $41 million in the Budget for emergency housing.
Mr Key reiterated that anyone living in a car should report to WINZ, who would lobby on their behalf to Housing New Zealand.
Labour leader Andrew Little said many of the people living in cars were working but could not afford rents or a home.
Even desperate families were struggling to get onto waiting lists for state houses, he said.
