New Zealand First MP Clayton Mitchell claims Tauranga's housing crisis has led to someone committing suicide.

Clayton contacted SunLive to say he received a call from a constituent claiming to be a close friend of someone who recently committed suicide, because they couldn't get a job and were unable to afford accommodation.

New Zealand First MP Clayton Mitchell is concerned more peope who are unable to find accommodation will turn to desperate measures. File photo.

The MP says he received the call last week and, for obvious reasons, the caller wanted to remain anonymous.

Clayton says he's not in a position to give too many details on the person who committed suicide, just the person was from Tauranga and the suicide happen as recently as a couple of weeks ago.

'I don't know the person [who took their own life] personally, but I do know the person who contacted us. They called my office with concerns, because of the work we'd been doing [around the housing crisis] and the wider impact it's having on the community.

'I guess it's just another indication how serious this problem is getting. I can't say I spoke to this person before they committed suicide or what their mental stability was or anything along those lines. I can just vouch for the person who has given the story.

'Hence I'm not going into huge details to keep their anonymity, but it just gives another angle on the housing crisis and this is going to have a wider arching impact on people.”

Clayton Mitchell.

Clayton says has been challenging the Government since the beginning of the year to recognise there is a serious housing crisis in Tauranga, because he has been receiving increasing numbers of phone calls from constituents about the issue.

'There's been a steady increase of people requiring support in homes and it's a wide cross-section of people. We're talking about solo parents, families and people who are on fixed incomes.

'You know we've got elderly people who have been displaced. We've got low earning income people that have been that have been displaced. So it's not just one section of the market and it's not just a homeless issue that we sort of know and understand.”

Clayton says his office has gone from receiving one call a month on the issue to about 12.

'On a regular week we would get about a half a dozen people calling us up.. Whereas we were only getting one a month previous to that.

'I've actually been out and talking to these people on the streets living in their cars. We have people who come into our office that are distraught.”

Clayton says the Government isn't doing enough and are being forced to face the fact the situation is getting worse.

He says he has been meeting with social and political organisations and businesses in Tauranga to look at possible solutions

'The housing situation involves everybody. It involves council, community leaders and we need to come together to come up with solutions.

'I'm now concerned about whether this latest example of local housing despair will be an isolated incident or the beginning of a new and even more alarming crisis.”

Tauranga MP Simon Bridges says the Government has a comprehensive plan to deal with housing and housing affordability.

He says the Government is dedicated to helping those most vulnerable in the community.

Some of the initiatives the Government is implementing include:

-Moving ahead with plans to build modular social housing.

-Investing $41 million in emergency accommodation and a non-recoverable special needs grant to support those with the most urgent need for housing.

-Growing the community housing sector by making providers eligible to receive ongoing funding through the Income Related Rent Subsidy, and considering transferring some Housing New Zealand properties to them for ongoing use as social housing.

-Freeing up properties for those most in need through tenancy reviews, which has seen 572 people move into private accommodation and 92 purchase their own home.

-Supporting people transition into greater independence in private accommodation by paying things like bond and letting fees.

-Launching a dedicated housing service for young people who are homeless, which also aims to help them gain the life skills needed to live independently.

-Creating more than 200 special housing areas across New Zealand to speed up the development of land for an estimated 70,000 new homes.