“…More than 350 Wellington families are awaiting state homes – leading to cases of seven people sleeping in a single living room.
Generations of families were crammed into overcrowded homes while they sat on waiting lists, Porirua city councillor Litea Ah Hoi said. “It’s just so unhealthy for our babies.”
Their plight was highlighted in a report to Porirua City Council’s Te Komiti this month.
It said Housing NZ had indicated it would not be increasing the number of state houses in Porirua – and housing stock could fall if the corporation sold some off privately.
Cannons Creek GP Bryan Betty knew of situations where two groups of an extended family lived in a single house, with multiple children sleeping in the living room.
The overcrowding was conducive to the spread of chest and skin conditions, especially in children, he said.
Available houses were often cold, damp, and poorly insulated -
- and some families resorted to using ovens to heat their homes…”
(cont..)
go to source/story>>>
