A Palmerston North housing advocate says demand for social housing exists within the city despite several agencies saying it doesn't.
Manawatu Housing Advice Centre manager Sue Swinborne is continuing to refer a number of clients, who say they have nowhere else to go, to Work and Income for a housing needs assessment. The clients are often on low or no incomes and generally have one adult and up to two children.
"Their priority is for a two bedroom, small, insulated easy to heat home without too much ground to maintain and at an affordable rent. In Palmerston North it's my understanding that only around 20 per cent of housing stock has one or two bedrooms."
Families are often split up due to the lack of room and we are finding solo dads have nowhere to live, she added.
Statistics from September 2007 state the community housing sector in New Zealand has approximately 160 non-Government, not-for-profit owned organisations.