Want a house faster? Go and live in your car

A 71-year-old man on the waiting list for a state house said he was told to "live in his car and then call back" to speed up the process of getting a home.

The Auckland man, who is due for hip replacement surgery, had applied for a unit through Housing New Zealand in January but had still not heard anything nine months later.

He called again in October and said he was told to live in his car to increase his changes of getting a home.

"I was told at the start I was on the serious need list but I hadn't heard a thing," Dennis White said.

"Then they told me to go and live in my car for a while and call back."

White said he did just that, spending six sleepless nights in his car.

"I spent over a week in my car but I was in too much pain with my hip and I couldn't even get up out of the car in the morning," White said.

"It was also really frightning, I was scared someone would break into the car and beat me up."

Later in October White called Housing New Zealand back and told them he had been sleeping in his car. He then went back to sleeping on the floor at his sister's house in Ranui.

White said he could not afford private rent because his pension was his only income.

In May it was revealed up to 50 families were sleeping in their cars outside Bruce Pullman Park in south Auckland.

Since then more families have revealed they have been forced to sleep in cars because of expensive rents and long waiting lists for social hosuing.

According to figures from the Salvation Army, rent for three-bedroom homes increased in Auckland by 25 percent from 2010 to 2015.

White said he contacted the office of local Labour MP Carmel Sepuloni and his GP to tell them he was told to sleep in his car.

Sepolini's office and White's doctor wrote to the state housing provider and said it was not appropriate accommodation - especially for someone waiting for a hip replacement.

"The woman at the Labour Party office said it was a shambles and my doctor said there was no way I could live in my car," White said.

In a letter seen by the Herald Massey doctor Amanda Mitchell said it was not possible for White to live in his car.

"I can confirm he has an immobile L hip which cannot bend so he is physically unable to sleep in his car," she said.

Kay Reed from Ministry of Social Development confirmed White's name had been added to the register for social housing in January.

At that stage White was staying with his nephew in Mt Eden but had to move out shortly after.

Reed confirmed the agency received an update about White's medical condition in October and his application for a house was updated.

She said there was "no record of our staff ever having told Mr White to sleep in his car to increase his prospects of being housed" and said it was "not something we would ever recommend."

White is adamant the conversation took place and said he didn't come up with the idea himself.

Reed confirmed White had called mid-October and said he had spent a few nights in his car.

After calls to Housing New Zealand from the Herald, White was called into an urgent appointment and was offered a room in a boarding house in Henderson and then a one bedroom unit in Blockhouse Bay.

White said he was relieved and happy with the outcome and was looking forward to moving into his new home in mind-January.

"I am really pleased and very happy I wont have to sleep on the floor anymore which is a really nice."

"I am very grateful."