Many homeless in Auckland — survey

Press, 14 July 1982, Page 16

Many homeless in Auckland — survey

PA Auckland More than 3600 Auckland households have been homeless during the last year, according to a survey released this week. The survey, by the National Housing Commission, said that what the researchers had discovered could be the tip of the iceberg. Problems facing the households questioned were overcrowding — three or more people to a bedroom — the likelihood of becoming homeless within 28 days, insufficient income, and marital breakdown involving violence. More than half the households were affected by all four. Researchers said that there was an even greater concern that many other households, earning an average income or less, could find themselves in similar circumstances if they were forced to look for accommodation in the advertised private rental sector. Average Auckland rents, based on accommodation advertised in newspapers, ranged from a minimum of $51.55 for one-bedroom accommodation, with an increase of $2O to $3O for each extra bpdroom. “The ' majority of the households surveyed would

be paying more than a third of their income on housing to occupy, - ’ said the report. At least three-quarters of the households 'surveyed earned less than $l5O a week, it said. This meant that a household could spend 34 per cent of its weekly income on onebedroom accommodation, 50 per ent for two bedrooms, and 68 per cent for three bedrooms. A family of two adults and two children living on the unemployment benefit of $127.93 a week, and paying 58 per cent of that for twobedroom accommodation, as well as meeting basic food costs, would be left with only $3.61 for all other living expenses. The commission began its survey in April last year and covered 559 households, representing 1661 people, and 22 housing agencies. Half of the households w r ere European, a third Maori, and a sixth Pacific island. About half the total were living in private rental housing at the time, and a quarter with relatives and friends. Three-quarters of the households included children. The report said that while only 33 of the households were not housed in some form of permanent structure, the others were homeless under basic criteria, 'includ-

ing recent British legislation.

The commission said that on the basis of their figures, about 3680 Auckland families had been homeless in the past year.

While not proposing specific solutions, the report said that rents relative to disposable income did suggest the need to consider such policies as rent subsidies, rent control, more public housing, and more rural housing. Labour’s housing spokesman, Mr M. K. Moore, said in Christchurch last evening that the Housing Commission report proved the Government's policies had been a "total failure.” “No government should be able to stay in office when its housing policies have inflicted such punishment on its people,” he told a public meeting in Christchurch. Mr Moore said that the real problem was supply. This could be solved only by building more houses and making better use of existing ones. . A Labour government would play a full role in housing finance by releasing money through the Reserve Bank, the trustee banks, and the Housing Corporation, he said.

Loans would be provided for those seeking smaller accommodation, thereby freeing larger homes. ■