Sky-high rent costs hitting Wellington’s former refugee community

Concerns are being raised about the financial pressure sky-high rentals are putting on Wellington’s former refugee community.

The Wellington region is one of 13 areas former refugees are housed around the country after completing a reception programme at the Māngere Resettlement Centre Te Āhuru Mōwai o Aotearoa.

But Newtown budgeting and advocacy service’s Gary Sutton said the lack of social housing in the capital is putting pressure on the former refugees the service meets.

“I think the main thing we are concerned about is the continued sending [of] former refugees to Wellington and putting them in private housing which [has] high rental costs.”

Sutton said their benefits can look quite generous, but when you realise it’s costing 60 per cent of their disposable income just to pay for their rent, it’s an issue.

“Then you’ve got this burgeoning cost of food and household supplies, this money is putting them in hardship immediately — they arrive here and they are in hardship and we have to sort of bail them out and do what we can to keep them afloat.”

He said former refugees shouldn’t be sent to Wellington unless they can be put in social housing so they can have a decent quality of life.

Immigration New Zealand said that as there was currently an increased demand for public housing, a majority of refugees were housed in the private rental market.

“We acknowledge the cost of living and rental prices have increased which is having an impact an all New Zealanders, including former refugees,” it said. “INZ works hard to ensure refugees feel supported with adequate living situations and this includes matching them with affordable housing when initially settled in Aotearoa New Zealand.”

Red Cross migration general manager Sue Price said the high price of rents, goods and services was a concern. “It is a really concerning time and having people making sure they have got enough left over after they’ve paid their rents to be able to eat and do what they need to do in their daily lives is really important.

“We are working closely with Immigration [NZ] on housing and all the other matters that concern former refugees settling in the community.

“We would really like to see more affordable rents for everybody — not just former refugees.”

Price said there was a shortage of affordable housing nationwide.

“It’s a difficult situation at the moment with rents increasing and, yes, we know the situation with social housing has changed a lot and there are a lot fewer former refugees and families getting into social houses and so they are increasingly having to go on the private market.”

Sutton encourages people in need to get help. “If anyone is struggling out there in the community with their financial situation with just putting food on the table, taking care of their kids, getting their kids to school, do seek out the services of a financial mentoring service.”