The Government seems to have mistaken the Salvation Army for X Factor and bullied them into trying to be used as a veneer of credibility for National’s mass privatisation of State Housing.
Working with NGOs to construct effective social policy is one thing, using the Salvation Army to justify flogging off State Houses to property investors and pressuring them into doing it, is a completely other thing…
The Salvation Army says it felt pressured into carrying out expensive, time-consuming research on buying unwanted state houses because the Government repeatedly referred to the charity as a likely buyer.
The organisation announced yesterday it would not take part in the Government’s plan to sell up to 8000 state houses to community providers after research showed it would stretch its resources too far.
…and now the Salvation Army have had a chance to read the deal, what were their thoughts?…
The Salvation Army’s study has not been released, but Major Roberts said it showed that the costs of taking on the state houses had been hugely underestimated.
For the scheme to work, the properties would have to be sold at a discount of 25 per cent in lower-demand areas and up to 75 per cent in areas where housing was more limited.
Major Roberts said that “even at those [discount] levels, we face not having a cash surplus for over a decade”.
This was because of the cost of maintaining the state houses, providing extra services to tenants, and employing specialists who could help manage a multi-million-dollar housing stock.
So let’s be clear. National have once again pretended to put together social policy to help the poor when really it’s just corporate welfare to property developers who will snap up properties, kick out the tenants for whatever excise they can create and then flog off the sub-divisions.
Just like with the War Key said we wouldn’t get involved in. just like Key said the GCSB didn’t do mass surveillance. Just like Key said no company would use the new employment law to rob workers of their tea breaks, the Government’s assurances that their new ‘Social Housing’ is for the poor with community groups providing housing is just nonsense.
This privatisation of our State Houses will help property speculators, it won’t do a damned thing for the poor.
The future of ‘social housing’ – the John Key Party Way.
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/mar/20/guy-hands-linked-to-sweets-way-estate-evictions
Guy and Julia Hands should be flogged naked through the streets and pelted with dog shit.
Grrrrrrr……I got family in the Salvation Army…..and despite recent headlines over some characters……..I can tell you now there’s a ton of good people in that church.
Im very well informed of their social services and activities – and to think this pack of mongrels in National were trying to manipulate the Sallies really sticks in my craw.
I’m glad they didn’t take up on it…it’d be just dancing with the devil.
But you know what I suspect?…..this whole exercise was just a cheap trick to get a feasibility and costings plan knowing full well that in the end the deal was going to go to developers anyhow.
Filth.
Yep. They’ve stopped maintenance on HNZ stock for some time now, so it’s run down and old. This government is truly lassiez faire. They believe government should not be involved in provision of housing for the poor, that the free market should and can do that. So their agenda is to sell off this housing stock to whoever can afford to buy it, property developers at the top of the list.
The property developers will buy the housing stock, probably at mates rates, give it a lick of paint and sell for a whopping profit. Probably to non residents or non citizens.
And the poor? Let them eat cake.
I know of a 75 yr old single woman, not overly well, in a state flat, paying market rental because she works as a caregiver, and the lino in kitchen has worn completely through probably original and the best guess is that these particular units would have been built in the late 60s maybe early 70s. Wallpaper is peeling off walls and Housing Corp won’t do anything about it, reckon it is fit for purpose.
I reiterate she pays market rental as she works part time. No excuse for their response to requests to have a bit of maintenance done
She could issue a 14 day notice and take them to tenancy tribunal.
But the point is, she shouldn’t have to do that.
So many NZers think HNZ tenants are getting a free ride, or very cheap ride. But as you point out, many of them are paying market rents to a landlord who thinks maintenance is optional.
Charities struggling to provide for those at risk within a democracy show up an evil within that democracy . A corruption .
State housing tenants should simply refuse to move . They should connect via social media , form rebel groups and involve the greater population then simply refuse to move from our homes . Our homes , not yankee doodle Jonky-stiens homes . He only lived in one at our expense remember ?
This is yet another example of when push meets shove .
Jonky’s deliberately enflaming a simmering problem for us normal people . He’s ramming the misfortunes he and his ilk created for us and them down our throats .
Imagine this metaphorical scenario ?
You’re sitting in a cafe and a bloke with authority comes up and demands;
” Gimme all your money , your house , your car keys , your mental and physical health , the futures of your kids , your marriage and your mother and fathers lives . That’s the boy . Now , you’re homeless, penniless , carless and your friends and whanau are either dead, addicted or are in prison therefore you’re no longer of any use to me now so fuck off.
I see your coffee’s arrived, hope it’s got two sugars ”
Seem harsh to you ? Well , that’s exactly whats happening . Some people will give you shit until the day you stop letting them . It’s that simple .
Yeah !….Key lived in a state house at OUR EXPENSE.
Bloody neo liberal BLUDGERS!!!
Their all the bloody same.
I think actually sit-ins and protests and refusal to leave are the only thing state tenents can do – it is what they are doing in England and it is working.
I think the sale of the state houses is for three purposes.
1/ ideology.
2/to try to get the books to balance by injection of cash. Bill English has now had 6 budget deficits in a row. Even after selling all the power companies and anything else they can get their hands on and they are desperately trying to show they are ‘good for the economy’.
3/to sell off houses to developer mates and cronies with interest in the National party. Send a few to the way of the Iwi to placate the Maori party.
In addition I have a theory of a tithing system developing. State asset sold cheap, buyer pays back a percentage to the National Party coffers.
Someone should look into this to see if this could be happening. I’m pretty sure it is. That why the Nats have so much cash.
State housing was set up for the people of New Zealand – it is an asset, and the government needs to keep its grubby hands off!
Our Dear Leader is very adept at setting up “stalking horses”. The proposed sell off of a “portion” of the state housing stock is such a tester. Pure neoclassical “political / economic” theory sees very little to no role for the government in community and social services.
The soft sell reasons for the proposed sell offs are that the housing stock is in the wrong places and/or of the wrong type given present requirements. Undoubtedly there is some truth to this as with the accusations of inefficient management / utilisation of the assets. However until the government is prepared to unequivocally guarantee and set in motion the provision of sufficient new dwellings to at the least match the number of places (i.e. catering for the number of occupants) being disposed of – and preferably add to these given the present crisis due to excessive demand resulting from government policies, THEN all there talk is false. I for one do not wish for a contemporary version of Dickensian workhouses.
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