The public housing waiting list is up 53 per cent on last year — with more than 21,000 people hoping for a home and set to wait an average of 242 days for one.
It is a 16 per cent change from June, with 2895 more people on the waiting list.
There were 13,966 people on the list at the same time last year, 9536 in 2018 and 5844 in 2017. The time it took to house those on the waiting list has also increased — with the average 242 days, 53 more than a year ago and 99 more days than in 2018.
The amount of people on the list considered 'at risk' with a severe and persistent need of housing has also continued to rise, with 90 per cent of the applicants in that category, compared to 86 per cent at the same time last year and 76 per cent in 2018.
There were 7505 new people on the waiting list between June to September, while 1878 people were housed over that time and 1900 public housing tenancies ended.
Of the 21,415 people on the housing register in the September 2020 quarter, 50 per cent were Māori, 23 per cent were NZ European and 13 per cent Pacific peoples.
The biggest age group on the list was 25- to 29-year-olds, who made up 40 per cent, and 26 per cent were 40 to 54.
The majority were single people (51 per cent) and sole parents (34 per cent).
National’s housing spokesperson Nicola Willis called the surge "a sad indictment on Labour’s failure to get on top of New Zealand’s housing woes".
"These are people assessed as being in severe and persistent housing need," she said.
"More than a third of them are families with children."
Associate Housing Minister Poto Williams said there is an expectation to deliver, "and we are, but the reality is we're playing catch up".
She said the 2569 projection of new public housing for 2020/21 "shows that our ambitious public housing programme is continuing to deliver".
"We want to make sure people in need get access to warm, dry, safe accommodation."
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