Source: Radio New Zealand
Christchurch Methodist Mission executive director Jill Hawkey said the big challenge they are facing is finding homes to house long term rough sleepers. RNZ / Conan Young
An organisation that’s been funded to find homes for rough sleepers says there aren’t enough houses to put them in.
In September the government announced [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/572188/broken-housing-system-more-support-coming-for-rough-sleepers-government-announces
300 extra social housing places] through the Housing First programme.
Housing First providers rent private or public homes and sublet them to people who have been homeless for more than a year, helping them sustain their tenancy.
Christchurch Methodist Mission executive director Jill Hawkey said her organisation already had about 100 people on its Housing First waitlist – and it kept growing.
It was granted 26 of the 300 places which had seen eight homeless people housed in Christchurch so far, but it was difficult to help move more people off the street because there were not enough houses available, she said.
“That’s the big challenge that we’ve got here in Christchurch, it’s actually being able to find the housing for people who have been long-term homeless.”
“Ideally, what we want is permanent social housing provided either by Kāinga Ora or a community housing provider rather than the private sector.”
That was because social housing provided more stability, Hawkey said.
She said number of homeless people in Christchurch had grown over the last year.
“As fast as we’re housing them, they’re coming in the front door.”
“Often members of the public will ring us concerned about somebody and will say, hey, I’ve seen somebody sleeping in a park or under a bush or in the sand dunes,” she said.
Last week it was revealed the government was also mulling a law change that would give police the power to shift rough sleepers off footpaths and out of shop doorways.
Hawkey hoped that “doesn’t see the light of day.”
“People who are living on the streets currently are incredibly vulnerable, they don’t need to be harassed and to be told to move from place to place,” she said.
“The only way to solve homelessness is to build more affordable and social housing. It’s really simple.”
Private rentals quickest way to get people housed – Minister
Housing Minister Chris Bishop said looking to the private market for more homes was the fastest option.
Officials had advised him there were about 300 “unhoused Housing First clients living without shelter,” he said.
“Sourcing an additional 300 places from the private market was a deliberate choice to enable these homes to be brought on quickly as opposed to building new which can take years to plan, consent and build,” he said.
“Importantly, the funding for the 300 places is permanent, which enables CHPs to enter into long term leases.”
That would ensure stability for those tenants, he said.
New team to support Christchurch homeless
The Christchurch Methodist Mission had also received $1.5 million of the $10 million the government allocated for homelessness support services.
Hawkey said it would be used to help people who had been homeless for less than a year, meaning they missed out on Housing First.
“We really know there’s a lot of people out there who are just recently homeless who we want to be able to support to find some permanent housing options as quickly as possible.
“So we’re standing up a team with the money that we’ve been granted to be able to do that.”
The team would include nurses, staff dedicated to finding possible rentals, and outreach workers who would connect people to various social services.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
