Waiting list for state houses continues to grow, hitting 7300

November 18, 2017

The pressure on housing has increased in regions outside Auckland.


The waiting list for state houses continues to grow, presenting a challenge for the new Government.

Figures exclusively obtained by 1 NEWS show more than 7300 people are waiting for a state house or to be transferred to another - 554 more than at the end of June and a 27 per cent increase from the same time last year.

In Wellington, 268 people are waiting for a state house - the highest number since 2014.

And the figures show the pressure on housing has spread well out of Auckland and into regions like Hastings and Napier.

New Housing Minister Phil Twyford is promising to built 2000 extra state houses to combat the issue nationwide, but details continue to be sparse.

And while the number of people on the state house waiting list is on the rise, 1300 state houses are sitting empty.

"It's absolutely untenable to have hundreds of state houses lying empty while there are families who just want a decent roof over their heads," Mr Tryford said.

"So I have got my officials working on how we can get those houses into use."

While the situation appears dire for some, the housing situation has improved in other areas.

Five-hundred more short-term housing places have been filled in the last quarter, leading to a reduction in government spending on emergency housing grants.

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