This article was first published in eMessenger in April 2018.
New Zealand has the worst homelessness rate in the OECD with nearly 1% of our population, which is over 41,000 people, homeless.[1] However the fear is that this is not a true count of homelessness.
The housing shortage and high levels of homelessness has been a consistent theme reported by members of the Methodist Alliance. We set up a meeting with Hon. Jenny Salesa, MP, Associate Minister for Housing and Urban Development, who also holds the following portfolios: Minster for Building & Construction; Associate Minister for Education; Minister for Ethnic Communities; and Associate Minister for Health.
The meeting was on Maya Angelou’s birthday, so this quote seemed appropriate to put on the briefing paper we prepared for the Minister.
“The ache for home lives in all of us.
The safe place where we can go and not be questioned”
Maya Angelou
We included a housing stocktake in the briefing to show the wide range of housing options and services offered by Methodist Alliance members throughout Aotearoa. Housing services contracted by government include:
Housing First initiatives in Auckland and Christchurch
Emergency housing in Christchurch, Blenheim, and Auckland, which is funded by MSD and in Rotorua, which is funded by Lakes District Health Board
Income related rental subsidies, enabling affordable housing for individuals (including older people) and families
Supported housing for young people transitioning from Oranga Tamariki care to independent living.
Housing First is an initiative to house and support people experiencing chronic homelessness. You can find out more about this project and hear the inspiring stories of people involved in this project in Auckland in this video: https://youtube/PTWvSj8IpU8
Other housing services provided by Methodist Alliance members range from residential care for the elderly, affordable housing for older people, accessible housing for people with disabilities, youth housing, and youth transition housing where young people are supported from being in foster care to living independently, long term housing offering rentals below market rates with wrap around support services, income related rental subsidies and support for families and individuals with complex and vulnerable backgrounds, emergency housing, to working with people who are homeless.
Christchurch Methodist Mission and Airedale Property Trust are registered community housing providers and Wesley Community Action is in the process of becoming registered.
We explained to the Minister that our members provide culturally specific supported living options:
Matanikolo housing project delivered 22 family houses for the Tongan community with affordable market rent. 14 x 3 bedroom, 3 x 4 bedroom and 5 x 5 bedroom houses. It is the first pacific housing project funded through the Government’s Social Housing Unit (Growth Fund) to be completed. Stage two providing eight units for older persons is currently underway. The Lotofale'ia Tongan Methodist Church of Mangere partnered with Airedale Property Trust to address key social issues facing members of its congregation. See and read more here: https://airedaleproperty.org.nz/matanikolo-housing-project/
Housing First delivered in Auckland City Centre with a co-designed Maori responsive framework
Te Whare Tiaki – supported whare for kaumātua in Christchurch
Airedale Property Trust and Te Taha Māori partnered with the Ministry of Social development in a project to provide affordable social housing for five families. The project, Tū Māia Ki Te Ao has 2 x 5-bedroom accessible houses and 3 x 2-bedroom houses which are designed for older people or those with physical disabilities. You can see photos of this project at https://airedaleproperty.org.nz/te-taha-maori/
RNZ’s Insight programme on Sunday 8th April called Full House – homesslessness and big families, featured interviews with Dr Arapera Ngaha, from Te Taha Māori Property Trust, and Ratenesh Sharma, from Airedale Property Trust. You can read the article here: https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/insight/audio/2018639338/insight-full-house-homelessness-and-big-families
Tū Māia Ki Te Ao - new social housing on Massey Road, Otahuhu. Photo: RNZ Insight/Eva Corlett
And you can listen to the full documentary on this link: https://www.radionz.co.nz/audio/player?audio_id=2018639338
Lifewise provide supported youth housing at West Coast Road with funding from a contract with Oranga Tamariki. This featured in the February eMessenger and this project offers 4 x 2 bedroom units for young people with intensive wrap around support services. You can see and hear more about this at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPkm9pLSYcY
Merge Café is located on Auckland’s Karangahape Road is unlike any other café as its goal is to end homelessness in Auckland. Every dollar spent at Merge Café goes towards support for people experiencing homelessness. So if you are in Auckland, consider going to Merge Café for lunch or coffee.
The Merge Café Community Peer Support Team provides guidance and advocacy to people in the homeless community and supports the Housing First programme with community led development. Kat’z is part of the Merge Community Peer Support Team and is on the Governance Board of Housing First in Auckland. “I work with the homeless, my people, my family, because I know the hurt, the mamae.” Watch Kat’z story at https://www.lifewise.org.nz/2017/12/04/a-happy-christmas-for-everyone/
Neighbour’s Day Aoteara was celebrated around the country in March. Free donuts, fruit, milkshakes and coffee and an opportunity to meet your neighbour was offered on 26th March at New Brighton. There is a partnership between Christchurch Methodist Mission and the New Brighton Union Parish with some of Christchurch Methodist Mission’s Community Response Team working at the new Village House and Chapel of the Waves. The partnership promotes increased wellbeing in the local community. Read more about this partnership and the work here: http://www.mmsi.org.nz/news/news/150-cmm-broadens-presence-in-eastern-christchurch-with-new-brighton-hub
Methodist Alliance Submission on the Child Poverty Reduction Bill
And finally, the Methodist Alliance put in a submission to the Social Services & Community Select Committee on the Child Poverty Reduction Bill. The purpose of the Bill aligns with our vision for a just society in which all people can flourish. The Bill is a courageous and significant advance and we hope it will provide more opportunities for the Government and our member organisations to work together to reduce the effects on poverty on children and improve New Zealand as a whole. We included a couple of case studies from our members in our submission. Here is one of them:
Case Study:
Mariana is a 45 year old single mum with an eight year old son. Mariana lost her tenancy when the landlord terminated her lease and moved his family in. Mariana was couch surfing with friends and lived in her car for the next four months before moving into transitional housing. Mariana is getting her full entitlement from Work & Income. Her son is enrolled in a school on the other side of town. To provide consistency in education and social connectedness for her son, Mariana has kept her son enrolled in the same school and she spends $50 a week in petrol to take him to school. Mariana also pays $43 per week to keep her furniture in storage. She has been to Work & Income for additional support but has been declined. After her expenses, Mariana has $55 a week left over for groceries for her and her son. She uses food parcels occasionally to top up the cupboards and occasionally her parents give her meat. Mariana isn’t sure how they would eat without this support. Additional costs like school uniforms, stationery, car registration and insurance are hard to save for and Mariana asks for help from community groups and family.
Please contact me if you would like a copy of our submission. There is very interesting reading on child poverty at http://childpoverty.co.nz/
Carol Barron, Methodist Alliance National Coordinator, Carol@MethodistAlliance.org.nz
[1] http://www.oecd.org/els/family/HC3-1-Homeless-population.pdf
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