Latest news with #SharaTurner
Scoop
17-07-2025
- General
- Scoop
Cost-Of-Living Crisis Deepens Longstanding Struggle For Intellectually Disabled New Zealanders
IHC says the cost-of-living crisis is worsening an already serious situation for intellectually disabled New Zealanders and their families, many of whom have faced financial hardship for years. As charities sound the alarm on families huddling in single rooms to stay warm, skipping meals, and borrowing to pay power bills, IHC Senior Advocate Shara Turner points out this level of struggle is nothing new for those living with intellectual disability, it's long been the norm. She says the IHC-funded Cost of Exclusion report, released last month, used older data and shows people with intellectual disabilities were living with significant financial stress five years ago. 'We are calling on the government and policy makers to adjust income support to reflect the true cost of disability and to recognise the long-term, cross-sector disadvantage disabled people experience.' The Cost of Exclusion report paints a bleak picture: People with an intellectual disability are twice as likely to live in hardship up to age 39 and almost three times as likely at ages 40 to 64, compared to the rest of the population. Rates of severe hardship are double in young adulthood and triple in middle age. Nearly half of intellectually disabled people cannot pay an unavoidable bill within a month without borrowing. They are over four times more likely to go without a meal containing meat or a vegetarian equivalent. They are more than twice as likely to feel cold due to heating costs. Advertisement - scroll to continue reading 'The current cost-of-living spike will have just added to the struggle. Stats NZ figures show electricity prices have increased by almost 9 percent and petrol by 15.5 percent in the last year. Social services have seen dramatic funding cuts and one provider told RNZ they are now supporting 800 fewer families than last year due to a $1.5 million drop in government funding.' 'It's not a blip. We are looking at entrenched, generational poverty and targeted action is needed to change the outcomes for some of New Zealand's most vulnerable people.' IHC's research, which includes powerful interviews with caregivers, offers insight into the systemic barriers that push families into poverty and keep them there. One mother described the toll: 'I ended up working full-time for three years, which just about killed me... 50 hours a week plus 15 to 20 hours advocating for Simon. It was like running a small business just for his care.' Another described how her child's multiple diagnoses made returning to work impossible for years, significantly eroding their family's financial stability. About IHC New Zealand IHC New Zealand advocates for the rights, inclusion and welfare of all people with intellectual disabilities and supports them to live satisfying lives in the community. IHC provides advocacy, volunteering, events, membership associations and fundraising. It is part of the IHC Group, which also includes IDEA Services, Choices NZ and Accessible Properties.
Scoop
26-06-2025
- Health
- Scoop
New Research Shows Poverty Hitting Intellectually Disabled New Zealanders The Hardest
A new IHC report reveals that New Zealanders with an intellectual disability are twice as likely to live in hardship or severe hardship compared to the rest of the population. IHC Advocate Shara Turner says the report, The Cost of Exclusion: Hardship and People with Intellectual Disability in New Zealand, shows this is a deep, systemic issue. 'The cost of disability is real and it's falling entirely on individuals and families who are often excluded from work, transport and even food. 'It is not acceptable that people with intellectual disabilities can't afford a healthy diet. 'It's also unacceptable that this is not part of national conversations on poverty. 'We need to include intellectual disability in all poverty tracking and public reporting. We need to adjust income support to reflect the true cost of disability and to build joined-up systems that recognise the long-term, cross-sector disadvantage disabled people experience.' The report shows that people with intellectual disability face significantly higher rates of hardship at every stage of life: Hardship is twice as likely for people with an intellectual disability under 40 and almost three times as likely for those aged 40-64 compared to others Severe hardship rates triple in middle age, even as they decline for the rest of the population Nearly 50% of people with intellectual disability cannot pay an unavoidable bill within a month without borrowing (vs. 18% of others) They are over four times more likely to go without a meal with meat (or vegetarian protein equivalent) every second day They are almost three times more likely to cut back on fresh fruit and vegetables due to cost Nearly 30% of children with intellectual disability can't have friends over for a meal due to cost Children with intellectual disability are also over twice as likely to not have daily access to fresh food and are 6.5 times more likely to miss out on school events for the same reason. The report was completed for IHC by Kōtātā researchers Keith McLeod and Luisa Beltran-Castillon, and Geoff Stone from Ripple Research. They interviewed people with an intellectual disability and their families, and extracted data about the outcomes of people with intellectual disability from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), one of the more comprehensive linked datasets in the world. The IDI holds de-identified data on nine million individuals in New Zealand, dating back to 1840, collected from government agencies, surveys and non-governmental organisations over many years.
