Poverty-stricken Wairarapa families are putting off going to the doctor or dentist and seeking treatment from free services.
The trend is revealed in a just-released Families Commission report titled Social Services in Masterton: The views of Families and Whanau.
Social Development Minister Paula Bennett was in Wairarapa yesterday on a visit timed
to coincide with the release of the glossy 65-page report, prepared from a survey of 400 families and face-to-face interviews with 39 vulnerable families.
Although it describes Masterton families as strong and resilient, they often use one or more of the town's 136 social services.
That staggeringly high figure did not even include government agencies, doctors and medical centres, Wairarapa Hospital, schools, district councils or national helplines.
The report acknowledges Wairarapa has had "some family tragedies" in the past 10 years arising from "serious family dysfunction", and that families who are poverty stricken put off going to a doctor or dentist unless it is an emergency, or try to get treatment from a free service.
Lack of money is exacerbated by high rents, mortgages and power bills.
The Minister's researchers found hard-pressed families seeking to lower power bills are closing up rooms in their homes to keep heating needs down.
According to the report, those providing social services had identified gaps, one of which was confirmation of the view that there is a lack of affordable housing in Masterton.
Mention was made of the fact there are no Housing New Zealand homes in Masterton but the report overlooked Trust House homes and the role they play in the supply of homes throughout Wairarapa.
Other "gaps" identified were mental health services for those with "moderate needs", services for sexual offenders, parenting programmes for those with older children and teenagers, programmes for young fathers and for over 17-year-olds who have left school but are still living at home.
The report was commissioned by the Minister, who asked for a snapshot of the social services providers in the area, how families knew about them and which ones they relied on.
Ms Bennett visited Pahiatua, Masterton, Carterton, Greytown and Featherston.
