Getting the most needy into state houses

The Herald reports:

At least 2 per cent of Housing New Zealand tenants are not eligible to live in a state house and will be moved into the private market.

The Ministry of Social Development said it had reviewed 3695 tenancies since mid-2014, and 87 people had not met the criteria for a state house.

Another 372 households had chosen to move into private accommodation after they were told their tenancy would be reviewed, and 47 tenants chose to purchase their own home.

That’s excellent – 47 former tenants are now home owners, and 372 state houses are now occupied by low income families that will benefit from the income related rent.

Tenants can be found ineligible if they are paying market rent or earning high incomes. They are assessed on whether they can afford to move into private accommodation, whether they will be able to stay there in the long-term, and how difficult it is for them to find houses in the open market.

Sounds sensible.