Merepeka Raukawa-Tait: Social housing not for faint hearted

No one is rushing to buy state houses. Photo / File

Of course the Salvation Army declined to show interest in the Government's social housing proposition. They're not silly. The only time the Government wants to get out of anything is when they're not doing it well. And housing has been giving them big headaches for a long time. It's fraught with difficulties and after years of neglect is in a mess.

Social housing is about trying to provide affordable housing for people who would otherwise find themselves on the street. You can colour and coat it any which way but that's it in a nutshell. And if we didn't provide some type of social housing we would have thousands of families camping in our parks with locals driving past looking aghast but averting their eyes quickly.

We like to think affordable housing is more achievable now than in the past but clearly it's not. Housing at the best of times is a complex affair. It's a huge capital outlay. Yet in New Zealand that is what most of us strive for. To own our own home. You can't be put out on the street when you own your own home.

It's the New Zealand dream - or at least it was. But for thousands of families home ownership will now never be realised. And it's not that the families can't afford a mortgage. Most are paying the equivalent of a reasonable-size mortgage in monthly rent to private landlords.

For these families it's the mortgage deposit that gets them stumped. They just don't have the 10 or 20 per cent deposit to secure their first home. And the state houses the Government wants to sell off now, about 8000 over time, are to be sold to another housing provider to provide and administer. But no one seems to be rushing to take up the offer.

Housing is just one of our many social problems. And these should not be underestimated. If you seek housing assistance you are probably attempting to cope in other areas of life. And I suspect that's why the Salvation Army said, "Thanks but no thanks".

The numbers didn't stack up, obviously, and the Salvation Army could see the other associated costs coming further down the track. If they couldn't do the job well they would leave it alone.

Fundamental to family wellbeing is a clean, warm affordable house. When added to little or no income, poor health, lack of engagement and inclusion in the community, you start to see why providers are not falling over themselves trying to be first in line.

With social housing you get the total package of human deprivation. People who have little expect little, and usually receive the minimum.

Years ago people who lived in state houses were working families. The usual family problems were coped with and few people sought, or wanted, the involvement of government agencies. Now the majority of social housing tenants are well and truly trapped in the system. And housing providers know that. Multiple agencies would be involved with just one tenant. And that's the rub. You can't just provide social housing and say "see you later".

That's no longer acceptable and certainly won't bring the long-term outcomes required to move families to a better future. It requires a cross-sector approach. Ministries of Health, Education and Justice, Work and Income, Child Youth and Family, and all the others working together. Housing is only one major problem and a housing provider must have leverage with all these other agencies.

The report the Salvation Army commissioned to see if it was feasible to take on the social housing role the Government wanted them to play would have been crucial to their final decision. It would have set social housing in the context of New Zealand's social and economic scene as it is today.

I presume this has been shared with the Government. The only way any housing provider will look at picking up the mess that is social housing is for the Government to give them the houses. They won't get a gift. Just the administration, management, repairs and maintenance of the housing stock will be a headache.

Add the other social welfare needs and you're looking for a provider who has to really want to take on that role as well. Social housing is not for the faint hearted. You are dealing with people who will have multi and complex needs. These have been apparent for years with little respite. A compassionate landlord who will address their immediate housing needs but who takes a generational approach to systematically addressing these is what's required. This can only be an organisation that understands people and poverty issues, has skilled staff and wants to work in this challenging environment. Any takers?

-Merepeka lives in Rotorua. She writes, speaks and broadcasts to thwart the spread of political correctness.