'Barrier after barrier' as disabled community locked out of housing

Thursday, 16 May 2019

A shortage of wheelchair-accessible homes in Auckland has locked disabled people out of the market, according to critics at a local government meeting.

Dan Buckingham, wheelchair user and Auckland Council Disability Advisory Panel deputy chair, said he experienced “major difficulty” finding a home suited for his mobility needs. 

“It’s really hard to buy a house when you live with a physical disability. Very seldom is there a house that I can roll straight into,” he said.

“For me trying to find a home was just barrier after barrier. It was very physically and emotionally draining.”

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Disability Rights Commissioner Paula Tesoriero​ said evidence indicated a significant shortage of accessible homes in the region.

“Nationwide, it is thought that only two per cent of the housing stock is accessible, compared to one in six people needing housing modifications to meet their needs,” she said.

In 2018, Ministry of Social Development data found 556 applicants for modified public housing were deemed either at risk or  'in serious housing need'. Of those, 258 were from Auckland.

Patricia Austin, University of Auckland senior lecturer in architecture and planning, said building regulations should be changed to include requirements for accessible housing.

“We need either a significant improvement to the Building Code, or an extension of how we conceive and apply the Human Rights Act in New Zealand,” she said.

'Houses need to have easy, level access from the footpath and wide enough passageways so that someone in a wheelchair can move around with ease on the ground floor.'

Currently, the Building Code, which is contained in the Building Act, does not demand private residential developments be designed in ways that provide access and usability for disabled people.

Auckland Council is making a submission to central government on potential changes to the Building Act to enable accessible housing.

That submission is expected to be completed by June 16.

The council’s Universal Access and Design principal specialist Elise Copeland said work was underway to address housing accessibility issues. 

“Universal design makes homes safer and easier for all to use and occupy without needing to modify layouts,” she said.

Universal design referred to buildings, homes and environments that were inherently accessible to the elderly and to people with disabilities.

In 2016, the council's free online guidance website introduced the Universal Design Hub.

The Hub aimed to support architects, designers and property developers cater for people of all abilities and stages of life when designing buildings and public spaces.

Tesoriero said local government had a key role to play in delivering accessible housing.

'Government, local or national, can encourage universal design which builds homes suitable for most people and then individual houses may just need minor modifications to meet a disabled person's specific needs,' she said.

She said accessible housing was a human rights issue.

'Accessible housing is about making modifications that meet a disabled person's specific needs. And the right modifications provide dignity and security,' she said.

New Zealand has ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which required governments to ensure disabled people had adequate standards of living, including adequate housing.

Austin said housing was a start but all types of infrastructure should be planned with accessibility in mind.

'We need to rethink a range of buildings including schools and work places to ensure that they are accessible to all and pay particular attention to the layout of our suburbs, our streets, and pedestrian crossings.'

Statistics New Zealand said one in ten Aucklanders had a mobility impairment.