Efforts to tackle homelessness in Dunedin have been boosted by the city council, which says it is not looking to duplicate the work of other providers. The Dunedin City Council said two new homeless outreach advisers had joined its housing policy team after the council had earlier decided to establish the outreach service. They would develop relationships and co-ordinate with other agencies supporting homeless people, identify gaps in care and complement services delivered by community-based providers, the council said. Similar services in Dunedin include one funded by the Ministry of Social Development. The ministry confirmed it had extended its contract with Dunedin Catholic Social Services to employ a full-time housing navigator to support rough sleepers through to June next year. This should ensure rough sleepers received appropriate income support, housing and employment assistance, ministry regional commissioner Steph Voight said. “The goal of the funding is to reach people who sometimes hesitate to engage with the support we offer.” Council community and strategy general manager Nicola Morand said homelessness was increasing in communities across the country, particularly urban centres, and Dunedin was experiencing this. “Residents and businesses are asking for solutions, expressing their concern for the welfare of homeless people, for community safety and impact on public spaces,” she said. The service would apply to all the territory covered by the council, including places such as Waikouaiti and Middlemarch. Ms Voight said the ministry’s expectation was the service it funded would focus on the Dunedin and Mosgiel urban areas, although Dunedin Catholic Social Services would ultimately make the operational decisions. Housing Alliance Otago strategic lead and former Dunedin mayor Aaron Hawkins said this looked like limited coverage of the city with discretion to go outside the area. “We know that there is need right across the region and only providing support for part of Dunedin city simply doesn’t meet that need.” This validated the council’s decision to establish an outreach service, he said. “We talk a lot about the postcode lottery when it comes to public health services, and people rightly expect to get healthcare wherever it is that they live in the country, and I don’t see why you would have any different expectation of social services.” The ministry-funded programme began in November last year. Ms Voight said the ministry was proud to partner with Dunedin Catholic Social Services and was pleased with work done so far to support rough sleepers connect with the help available, including suitable housing options and social support. The council said its advisers would not provide counselling or social worker services. They would “work to connect with providers already working in the community and help homeless whānau navigate the support and services available, including housing options, healthcare, mental health support, addiction services and income assistance”. Council principal policy adviser for housing Gill Brown said the outreach advisers would talk to retail and hospitality businesses, other community-based support services, government agencies, health services and law enforcement in the coming weeks. “The first step will be to identify immediate needs, begin the dialogue and build trust,” she said. “We know there is a lot of work to do and we are confident this service will have genuine impact.” The council said a range of factors could contribute to a person becoming homeless, including cost of living, traumatic life events and family breakdowns, unemployment and debt, mental and physical health issues and addictions. The Otago Daily Times asked how the ministry and council programmes might gel or if they would complement each other. Ms Voight said the ministry was in regular contact with the council on a range of matters, including the rough sleeper programme. Ms Morand said the council service was designed to complement, rather than duplicate, services delivered by community-based providers. The service could connect homeless people with existing services and identify any support that was missing, she said. “And more than supporting those in need, we also want to take steps to prevent homelessness.” In April, the council decided to establish an in-house outreach service, rather than outsourcing to a community provider.
