A group of Hutt Valley residents are launching a housing
petition aimed at the government, including local MPs – the
Minister for Housing, Chris Bishop, and Labour Leader, Chris
Hipkins. The group is kicking off their petition campaign at
the Petone Rotary Fair on Saturday 21
February.
“We’re really concerned about the level
of unmet need in the Hutt Valley for housing”, says
Michelle Ducat of Public Housing Futures Hutt Valley. “Our
petition asks the Minister for Housing, as well as the wider
NZ Government and other political parties, to commit to
providing public housing for everyone in the Hutt Valley who
doesn’t have decent, appropriate, stable housing. We’re
asking the Government to empower and resource Kainga Ora to
be able to do this”.
Ducat says there are hundreds
of Hutt Valley whānau in severe housing need waiting for
public housing, but there is not enough available for
everyone, and this is not likely to change under current
Government plans.
“At last count there were 684
families and households on the public housing waitlist for
the Hutt Valley, and with the cost of living and the levels
of unemployment we’re facing, the need is not likely to
abate”, says Ducat. “Despite this, Kainga Ora homes in
the Hutt are being sold off, there are not enough KO new
builds in the pipeline, and no money has been earmarked for
future builds.”
Ducat says that the undersupply of
public housing means some Hutt Valley people are having to
forgo food to pay rent, or live in overcrowded, unhealthy
homes, or in garages, cars, or parks.
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“We don’t
think it’s right for members of our community to be left
in those situations”, says Ducat. “It’s so
fundamentally important for people to have a decent roof
over their heads that it should be a top priority for our
politicians to make sure that this happens by providing
enough public housing – and leaving it to the private
market won’t work.”
Ducat says that the Public
Housing Futures Hutt Valley group will be reaching out to
the Hutt community over the coming months to make them aware
of the petition. “We know there is a lot of concern about
poverty, housing deprivation and homelessness in our area
and that people will appreciate the opportunity to make
their voices heard – especially in an
election
year”, says Ducat. “We’re looking
forward to getting our petition in front of people,
gathering signatures, and delivering the petition to Bishop,
Hipkins, and others at Parliament in July.”
People
can find the petition online
at
https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/for-a-hutt-valley-where-everyone-has-a-home
or by visiting the Public Housing Futures Hutt Valley group
at their stall at the Petone Fair on Saturday 21 February
– they will be on Jackson Street between Fitzherbert and
Sydney Streets (opposite The Hairy Barber at 107 Jackson St
and Ellen G Home Crafts at 109 Jackson
St).
