Hawke's Bay mortgagee sales were 40 per cent higher for 2011 than they were for 2010, figures released yesterday by property information and mapping company Terralink show.
There were 57 mortgagee sales in Hawke's Bay in 2010 and 80 in 2011. The biggest pain was felt in Hastings where there was a 57 per cent increase - from 28 to 44.
Social agency Familyworks Hawke's Bay general manager of social services, Lorna Cowan, said demand had grown "significantly" in the last 18 months
"The impact of the recession has increased poverty levels in Hawke's Bay, creating material and social hardship for families which, in turn, affects their ability to meet their commitments to payments such as rents and mortgages," she said.
"With increasing numbers of self-referrals, Familyworks has struggled to cope with the demand within our funding limitations and are referring to other agencies." Nationally for the same period, the number of mortgagee sales fell 7 per cent, from 2434 to 2265, but numbers had risen in the second half of 2011.