New State Housing Policy a Recipe for Crime

The Government's move to stop people from living in state houses while on bail is a recipe for increased crime and poverty, said Green Housing spokesperson Sue Bradford today.

“This is not the best way to ensure state housing tenants are safe. It will have the opposite effect, creating crime by separating families and pushing vulnerable kiwis into homelessness.

“Housing New Zealand needs to work with tenants to ensure that everyone’s needs are met and everyone is kept safe. Instead they are picking on people in direst need of housing assistance.

HNZ’s new policy of preventing people other than existing tenants and their partners from living in state housing if they are on bail will marginalize vulnerable people and make it more difficult for them to work. This will create further costs to the economy and to our health and justice systems, said Ms Bradford.

“I don't know where the Government expects some of these people to live.

“Will there be more funding for homeless shelters, welfare payments or emergency housing to assist those who find themselves with no roof over their heads as a result of this new policy?

“This policy also assumes that all people on bail are guilty when this hasn’t been proven in court.”

The Green Party believes people should not be presumed guilty before conviction; nor should they be penalized twice for offences, once by the courts and once by Housing New Zealand.

“The Green Party calls on the Minister of Housing Phil Heatley to reverse this decision before the impacts of this unfair, discriminatory measure are felt in the community,” said Ms Bradford.