Government's emergency housing funding package 'could go further' says homeless family

Housing Minister Paula Bennett announced a massive new funding package for emergency housing, which includes 1400 extra places for homeless families and individuals. Photo / File

A woman whose family has been homeless since August last year says the Government's $300 million boost to emergency housing could go further to help people in need.

Housing Minister Paula Bennett announced a massive new funding package for emergency housing, which includes 1400 extra places for homeless families and individuals.

Tuaine Murray and her family, husband Rastaman and 12-year-old wheelchair-bound son Kaya, have been homeless since August.

They have been living at the Manurewa Marae for 12 weeks.

She said finding a property that was suitable for her son was "very hard".

"I think they could go further, but it's great what they've done," she said.

"Getting him into a house that's accessible to him, that's our main obstacle."

She said getting people into appropriate housing was about more than funding.

"There's lots of people with different impairments that the government could look at to help.

"There's lots of us with different circumstances and obstacles getting us into housing, ours mainly being disability."

The housing package will allow for an additional 1400 temporary housing places at any one time, Bennett said, of which 600 will be in Auckland.

Bennett said the funding would "see some of our most vulnerable New Zealanders receive the support they need".

Of the $300 million in funding, $120 million would go towards building, buying or leasing properties which were suitable for housing homeless people.