Opinion: Papamoa emergency housing village just in time for Christmas

A home - just in time for Christmas.

That's what eight families received this week after moving into Papamoa's new emergency housing village. More families will follow.

The weatherboard units are comfortable, if temporary, with no frills. The last of the instant lawn was being laid down on Monday and the houses had been blessed by local iwi Nga Potiki.

The village had a low-key opening, but It's been a controversial project.

Earlier this year a coalition of Papamoa residents, upset at the lack of consultation about the proposal, lodged a petition opposing the development of the emergency housing village.

There was speculation at the time the plans prompted a flurry of house sales in the area.

The petition did not sway the council, which voted to press ahead with providing land for the village.

The residents' concerns are understandable. No one wants homeless families to be left out in the cold, but the prospect of having an emergency housing village on your doorstep could give you pause for thought. This issue has been acknowledged by agencies involved the village.

It's early days, but there are signs the wider community is warming to the idea, with offers of assistance and food packs rolling in.

We all need to get used to housing projects such as this.

Due to soaring rents and booming house prices, there is an urgent need for emergency housing to assist struggling families being priced out of the housing market.

The failure of incomes to keep pace with either house prices or rents was highlighted in a recent report on the local housing market which found that 80 per cent of Tauranga renters earning up to $50,000 were experiencing "housing stress".

Hopefully, for the families moving into Papamoa's new emergency housing village, some of this stress will be relieved this Christmas.