Study finds disabled New Zealanders use emergency housing 6% more often

People with disabilities are relying on emergency housing, and staying longer in accommodation intended for seven-day stays, because of a lack of accessible, affordable rental properties, a study by researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington—Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, Pōneke has found. Dr. Chang Yu, a research fellow in the Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Public Health, says people with disabilities stayed in emergency housing 6% more often and for 5% longer compared to those without disabilities during the period from 2016 to 2022.