More homeless seeking beds

There is a shortage of emergency accommodation across New Zealand, including Dunedin, and the number of homeless people visiting the Citizens Advice Bureau has doubled.

The bureau report released yesterday, ''Spotlight on CAB clients needing emergency accommodation'', revealed the bureau received more than 3000 inquiries about emergency accommodation in New Zealand for the year to June.

The report revealed emergency accommodation inquiries had doubled nationally in the past five years.

CAB Dunedin assistant to the manager Rachel Hurd said the national inquiry trend was mirrored in Dunedin - inquiries about emergency accommodation had doubled in Dunedin in the past five years.

The residents inquiring in Dunedin were a mix of families and single people.

People in urgent need of accommodation were facing long waiting times on the social housing register for a state house. Vulnerable people needed access to temporary accommodation while waiting on the register, she said.

''So there is somewhere they go, especially families,'' Ms Hurd said.

CAB New Zealand chief executive Kerry Dalton said there was a nationwide shortage of social housing in New Zealand.

''This is very distressing for the people coming to us, and for our volunteers, who cannot offer options to alleviate these desperate situations.

''It means that vulnerable women and children are left having to sleep in cars, garages, on couches, in overcrowded rooms or on the floor at friends' or relatives' places,'' Ms Dalton said.

The bureau wanted Work and Income to do more by supporting people into temporary accommodation.

''We urgently need to reinstate the safety net for people who, for whatever reason, have no place to call home and are desperate for emergency housing.''

In the report the bureau recommended Work and Income take responsibility for finding emergency accommodation for homeless people until ''adequate, safe, secure and permanent'' housing could be accessed.

The bureau also wanted Work and Income and the Social Housing Assessment division of the Ministry of Social Development to collaborate to ensure people on the social housing register had suitable temporary accommodation.

MSD associate deputy chief executive Marama Edwards said there was a need for more emergency housing.

The Government was reviewing the emergency housing sector and looking at how services were delivered across agencies, non-governmental organisations, and local councils.

The review was announced in January and the Government had committed another $2.5 million to support the emergency housing sector, she said.

Work and Income already managed requests for emergency housing and assisted in a range of ways including financial assistance to cover the cost of emergency accommodation, help with rent arrears to enable people to stay in existing accommodation, and referrals to emergency housing providers.

''We are considering the findings of the Citizens Advice Bureau report, and we're already following up with front-line staff across the country to ensure they're providing clients who present with emergency housing needs all the support we can offer.''

shawn.mcavinue@odt.co.nz

 


 

Client inquiries

Inquiries about emergency accommodation at Citizens Advice Bureau in Dunedin.

2010: 30

2011: 30

2012: 42

2013: 43

2014: 56

The first four months of 2015: 22 


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