Many people battling HIV currently live in HNZ units such as these in central Auckland Housing New Zealand says that gay men living with HIV will be assessed using the same criteria as is used for other groups that are in need of state housing, under the new merging process undertaken by both Housing New Zealand and Work and Income New Zealand. Under the proposed changes, Housing New Zealand will be integrated with the Ministry of Social Development, which says it aims to provide a wider social support to current and future tenants. "Reviewable tenancies, which currently apply to some tenants, will then be extended progressively to all social housing tenants," says Housing Minister, Nick Smith. This also means that tenants battling HIV infection will be reviewed under this new reform and can no longer rely on on-going security of tenure in their Housing NZ homes. GayNZ.com Daily News has reported on HIV-positive people's peer support group Body Positive's concern about the proposed change. Its manager, Bruce Kilmister, expressed his uneasiness on the bureaucratic adjustments. "I am worried because it further removes us from the service arm of Housing New Zealand... it adds another gatekeeper," says Kilmister. He fears that the assessors will fail to understand the distressing nature of the condition itself and thus might affect the assessing outcome. Under the Ministry of Social Development WINZ will take over the tenant assessment from Housing New Zealand. Also under this reform, tenants whose conditions have improved significantly will be advised to move to independent rental accommodation or home ownership. A spokesperson from Housing New Zealand responded to Kilmister's apprehension, by saying that tenancy review will be undertaken with common sense, and will take into account the importance of certainty for tenants, particular those with serious and long-term needs, such as tenants with HIV or AIDS.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Sunday, 1st September 2013 - 12:39pm