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Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith and Associate Housing Minister Paula Bennett today released the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s estimates of the number of first home buyers in Canterbury who are to benefit from the Government’s new KiwiSaver HomeStart package.

From tomorrow selected community groups will be able to offer income related rents for people needing social housing and people will be able to test their eligibility through Work and Income.

“We are growing low cost housing by partnering with dedicated community groups that are providing the properties.  We are also expanding income related rent subsidies beyond Housing New Zealand,” says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.

The Government today announced the next step in delivering housing assistance to those most in need with reviewable tenancies for all social housing tenants. 

In the first year this will apply to people currently paying market rents or close to market rents to see if they can move into and sustain a private rental.

About 800 reviews, commencing from 1 July 2014, are expected to be completed in the first year, out of approximately 68,000 state house tenancies.

Budget 2013 makes fundamental changes to the way the Government delivers housing assistance to those most in need, Housing Minister Nick Smith and Social Development Minister Paula Bennett say.

This includes extending income-related rent subsidies to community housing providers and integrating housing assessment with the Government’s wider social support services.