The sight of homeless people on our streets is an indicator of a lack of love in our economy.
Did it have to get as bad as it has before we start to debate the causes of poverty, unemployment, mental health, abuse in State care, lack of housing options and a myriad other of causes. Here are a few articles which cover some of the issues arising from the debate about housing:
- Why is it wrong for politicians to not address homelessness https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/politics/660497/analysis-why-it-s-wrong-for-politicians-to-dodge-questions-about-homelessness.
- Half a million New Zealanders living in poverty
- Support services blindsided https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/595959/support-services-blindsided-by-government-social-housing-shake-up.
- National’social housing shift sparks warnings National’s social housing shift sparks warnings from sector – Newsroom
To add salt to the blight of homelessness in our society this government then passed legislation under urgency which gave Police the power to move on homeless people. This legislation shows the lack of compassion demonstrated by this coalition government. Practically every submission was against what was being proposed, including from the Police.
A brilliant response to the government’s thoughts on the homeless
- Move-on orders are a game-changer for fixing the nation’s complex problems | The Spinoff
- https://www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/360955296/homeless-move-orders-would-mean-most-expensive-emergency-housing-nz.
Alongside the policy of the move on orders the government moved to tighten access to the accommodation supplement. In this article Move-on orders punish poverty while we defund all the ways out of it – Newsroom the author wrote:
We are proposing to fine people who can’t afford a place to sleep, and to jail them when they can’t pay. The Government was told, by its own people, that this wouldn’t work and might be unlawful. It proceeded anyway.
Social Development Minister Louise Upston recently introduced legislation to tighten access to the accommodation supplement – available to low-income renters and home-owners – to “ensure the fiscal sustainability of the welfare system”.
Explaining the change in the bill’s first reading she said, “these home-owners are being supported by the taxpayer to acquire a significant personal asset.”
The article then wrote about Minister Upston:
Ministerial expenses show Upston, who is the MP for Taupō and who lives near Cambridge when the House is in recess, claimed a $1000 a week allowance last year – on top of her more than $300,000 salary. The pecuniary interests register shows she jointly owns a Wellington apartment and doesn’t have any mortgage debts owed.
This would have to be one of the better examples of the gap between the haves and the have nots. Stuff writers also covered this crass hypocrisy Minister seeking tougher accommodation supplement criteria claims $1000 a week housing allowance | Stuff
The tone set by the coalition government gives permission for ideas to be enunciated reflecting the worst of our society. When a church group in Auckland proposed, quite correctly, to feed the poor and homeless in their district they experienced local pushback. This disgusting response of a lack of compassion in this area reflecting badly on everyone involved. This was covered in this article https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/regions_local-democracy-reporting/601460/church-s-plan-for-low-cost-cafe-to-feed-hundreds-shunned-by-locals.
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