’Eviction last resort in house-abuse cases’

Press, 12 April 1978, Page 11

’Eviction last resort in house-abuse cases’

Eviction should be the last; resort in dealing with ten-; ants who abuse their houses,; says a report by the Associ- 1 ation of Social Workers. ; The report was prepared in response to statements’ made by the Minister of: Housing (Mr Holland) in; 1976 who said that he was; concerned about tenants who' left their State houses in an • uninhabitable condition." Mr Holland suggested that the Housing Corporation might have to take firm action, even to the extent of evicting offending tenants. The report outlines w'hat the association sees as the reasons for abuse of houses and suggests that the same reasons couid apply to abuse, in private rental houses. The report says that many of the families causing concern to the Housing Corporation are “multi-problem families" who may abuse their houses while in arrears with rent. These families, says the report, may face various social problems and in many cases multiple problems are involved. It says that the houseabuse problem is not entirely because of the personal characteristics of such families but because of broader factors involving

.' Housing Corporation pol- ; icies, and social attitudes. "For many people who ' enter State rental housing, it is their only viable alternai rive. On the other hand, [ there is a genera! attitude in ;: New Zealand society which ' sees State rental housing as i s inferior.” ; 11 As at March, 31, 1977,! /says the report, the corpori ation administered 56,854 houses and 6.57 per cent of. : these were in rent arrears;! [‘during the previous year authority was given in 95, ' cases to uplift warrants of eviction. There are no figures to I ! show exactly how many ten-) rants had abused their ■ houses. : The national president of the association (Mr M. r- O’Brien) said it had urged ■ ;Mr Holland to adopt a num- . > ber of "points of principle” i !in dealing with house abuse ■ ;and rental arrears. ; These points are outlined i in the report and include the • I recommendation that familes ; be kept together when deal- ’ ing with the problem. ; i "The ‘problem family’ is [entitled to be housed as a -[family,” it says. ■ I "Eviction, and possible • ! breakup of the family, i should be regarded as a ' totally unacceptable remedy, : even as a last resort.

. “The strains and tensions which tend to cause family breakup are both preventable and curable. Appropriate measures to alleviate such strains and tensions are the responsibility of the society at large. Rehabilitation may have Ito continue over a long 'period, and the patience of I the Housing Corporation I will be required while every effort is made to proceed with such rehabilitation.

“The provision of housing by the State for those members of society who are unable to obtain satisfactory housing otherwise should be seen as a fundamental right, and not as a charity.” The report goes on to outline ways of intervening when rents are in arrears or houses abused.

Housing officers should intervene as soon as posible and should be trained to identify tenants’ problems, the report suggests. It says the Government should take a lead in changing attitudes to State rental housing, more emphasis should be put on personal contact between the corporation and tenants, and tenants’ associations should be developed. The report also recommends more frequent, inspection of State houses.