Opinion: city not immune to homelessness

Homelessness is increasing across New Zealand. PHOTO: ALLIED MEDIA FILES
Homelessness is increasing across New Zealand. PHOTO: ALLIED MEDIA FILES
I love the start of spring, but for thousands of households the memory of winter’s bite still lingers.

In a country as wealthy as ours, no-one should be left to face the cold without the protection of a safe, warm home.

Homelessness is increasing across New Zealand, and as seen with tent sites at the Oval, Dunedin is not immune. While the tents represent only a small portion of those living without a home, it serves as an important visible reminder that we need to do more to support those in need.

Last month Taieri MP Ingrid Leary and I met social service providers across Otago to discuss homelessness and housing instability in Dunedin. While there is still much work to do, it was encouraging to bring everyone together to explore ways to improve these issues.

One key finding was the urgent need for accurate data collection — data that truly reflects the number of people living without a home. National’s plans to scrap the census goes directly against this.

Equally important is reporting homelessness when you see it.

Gill Brown from the Dunedin City Council has encouraged people to email her if they notice signs of homelessness around the city. This is a crucial first step to identifying and assisting those in need.

We also discussed the necessity for increased government investment in programmes used elsewhere to combat homelessness — such as outreach initiatives and the Housing First approach.

Labour’s housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty also attended the meeting, before visiting the Dunedin Night Shelter, as well as the Suzanne Lund Community Loft Apartments.

Despite projects like that of Russell Lund and the Salvation Army, the demand for social housing continues to grow in Dunedin.

Just last month, a site in Albertson Ave in Port Chalmers, previously earmarked for social housing, was put up for sale. The fear now is that a similar site in Carroll St, which was earmarked to provide 42 Kāinga Ora homes, may soon face a similar fate.

This is why I have once again written to Housing Minister Chris Bishop, urging him to reverse his plans and proceed with building these much-needed homes.

While we need more social housing, we must also ensure these homes are warm and dry. Labour’s Healthy Homes standards only recently become enforceable, but we are already hearing of landlords finding ways to bypass these requirements.

Everyone deserves a warm dry place to call home. Labour will make it easier to buy and better to rent, and build the homes we need.