Homebuilders – Housing dilemma in Rodney

By Quentin Jukes, Homebuilders Co-ordinator

The problems facing first home buyers are being fairly well covered in the media currently. We hear a lot less about the impact of surging house prices on those who rent the home they live in. In our work alongside local families, it is very clear that there is a massive shortage of affordable housing in the Rodney area. This is a particularly significant problem for the large number of local people who are in low paid work or on a benefit.

As reported in Mahurangi Matters in June this year, between 2001 and 2013 median house rents increased 54 per cent faster than incomes in the Warkworth area. For a family in part-time employment, in a job paying the minimum wage or on a benefit, any increase in housing costs is likely to impact on all other spheres of their budget. The extra $20 being spent on rent, means $20 less for food, heating or the ability for little Johnny to play sport.

There have been decades of research showing that cold, damp and overcrowded housing impacts significantly on both the short and long term health of children. In addition to the health impacts, these problems create enormous emotional distress to families and long-term financial costs to our health system. We regularly work alongside families who work miracles in their budgeting, but simply don’t have enough income to heat their sick children’s room. Accessing good quality affordable housing is such a problem in this area for a number of reasons, the major one being there is a chronic shortage of such houses.

Building new, good quality and affordable housing is an obvious part of the solution. Sadly, the lack of an urgent, concerted and planned response which includes the needs of families on low incomes is lacking. The real cost in spiralling house prices is being borne by the children developing avoidable health conditions, which may well impact them their whole.

An Accommodation Supplement can be available to people in low paid work or on a benefit. If you know someone who is struggling to cover their rent or their mortgage costs, suggest they contact Homebuilders Family Services on 425 7048 and we can quickly do a free check to see if they may be eligible for this assistance. While the Accommodation Supplement won’t fix their problem, it may help a little.