On Stuff today:
Blankets in demand as families turn off heaters
Christchurch families are turning off heaters and bundling up in blankets to save money, leading to a waiting list for the basic item among social agencies.
For the first time since starting a blanket bank three years ago, New Brighton Project, a social agency, has a waiting list of desperate families needing warm blankets and bedding as people turn off heaters to save money and turn to blankets instead.
Young families with children reliant on electric heating are hurting the most, said coordinator Martha Baxendell. The agencies had been inundated with referrals from social agencies around the city. … “People are still living out there in broken homes. They are coming to us for blankets saying ‘I really can’t afford to turn on the heating’,” she said. … “With the housing crisis, there is significant overcrowding – all the kids in a double bed. It’s like the 1950s,” she said.
Powered by WPtouch Mobile Suite for WordPress