Kiwis have spent up to 4.4 years waiting to get off the social housing register. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Kiwis have spent up to 4.4 years waiting to get off the social housing register. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Kiwis in need of a home have waited up to 4.4 years on the Government's social housing register - for those with a disability the wait has been up to 3.2 years.
The numbers come amid growing concerns about the levels of homelessness in the country and the shortage of homes, both social and affordable, nationwide.
Figures released under the Official Information Act revealed Kiwis are waiting weeks, if not years to get a roof over their heads.
The Ministry of Social Development [MSD] data showed of those housed in the quarter ending March 31, 2017 the median number of days on the social housing register was 52 days.
While some were housed on the same day, the maximum wait time was 1,616 days - 4.4 years.
For those with a disability the median number of days was slightly higher, just under three months - 84 days. The maximum wait time was 1,202 - 3.2 years.
As of March 31, 2017, some 15 per cent of those on the social housing register, 696 out of 4,865, have a disability, or have a member of their family living with one.
An additional 251 people living with a disability are on the transfer register - with a median wait time of 90 days to be rehoused.
Just last week a Salvation Army report warned of a housing crisis that needed at least 20,000 new social homes each year to stop the relentless rise of homelessness.
Figures released under a separate OIA request showed as of June 2017 there were 5353 people on the social housing register - almost double the 2737 that were on the list in the 2006-2007 year.
Meanwhile Housing New Zealand stock had declined by 4582 across the same time period - from 67,063 in the 2007-08 year, to 62,481 in March this year.
Of its current supply only 3.6 per cent [2,293] of the 62, 481 properties as of March 31, 2017, had wheelchair access and only 5.8 per cent [3,682] were modified for those with a disability.
Of the new homes being built, HNZ said these were being built with features such as wide hallways and are made to be "easily modified".
However, these were only done following a recommendation by an Occupational Therapist.
"The extent and type of modifications will differ from person to person depending on their disability, but can include ramps, wet area showers, modified kitchens, sliding doors and handrails."
The Government this year unveiled a new Crown building programme in Auckland - that would see a net addition of 26,000 new homes - of these an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 were social homes.
Meanwhile, the OIA showed there were also plans for more builds around the country - though the exact figures were not divulged.
"We have got projects underway in Wellington and Christchurch ... these programmes will result in hundreds of new homes across the country, and there will be more in the pipeline."
Esther Woodbury says it can take "luck and love" for those living with a disability to find an accessible home. Photo / Supplied
With a critical shortage of houses in New Zealand, for those with a disability finding a house often comes down to "luck and love".
Kiwis living with a disability, or who have a family member living with a disability make up roughly 15 per cent of the Ministry of Social Development's social housing register - with a median wait time of almost three months.
Esther Woodbury, 39, of the Disabled Persons Assembly said in her case it was love, from her mother, that got her into accessible university housing and love, from a partner, that carried her friend and her wheelchair up and down some stairs".
The Wellington woman, who has issues with mobility as a result of juvenile arthritis, shared her story as part of the New Zealand Public Service Association's recently released publication: Progressive Thinking - Ten Perspectives on Housing.
Woodbury said the reality was people living with a disability had few options, as many were unable to afford to buy or modify their own home and there were few accessible homes on the rental market.
She said it should not be the case that disabled people only had access to safe, appropriate housing, if they have good luck, money and/or people fighting for them.
The 39-year-old called for national planning standards to take into account the housing needs of disabled people.
"New Zealand needs strengthened tenancy laws to support long-term tenancies so those who cannot afford to own universally designed houses, or retrofitted ones, can get the support they need to modify the rentals they live in and to stay in homes that work for them.
"Otherwise disabled people will have to continue to rely on luck and the people who love us- and we will end up in ED with broken bones when love and luck run out."
