The number of households needing affordable housing In Nelson and Richmond has grown 50% over the past 4 years, our Housing Need surveys show. The latest survey, for the six months to 31 December 2022, showed there were 633 households needing affordable housing, in addition to the 396 households on the Public Housing Register. That count was up from 412 households needing affordable housing in 2018, in addition to the households on the register.
Interestingly, the number of households on the register dropped in December 2022 for the first time since 2020. Possible reasons for the drop include people leaving the region for housing elsewhere or leaving the country, since the borders have re-opened post Covid-19 restrictions. However, many housing providers and community organisations in Nelson-Tasman said they were still fielding a lot of inquiries from people looking for somewhere to live. You can read a summary of the survey here.