This article was first published in Touchstone in November 2019.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development’s public housing quarterly report shows an increase in demand for public housing in all regions during the June 2019 quarter.[1] Comparing the statistics to the previous year, the regions that have top five increases by percentage are Waikato with an increase of 84%, Central with 67% increase, Bay of Plenty increased 59%, Canterbury increased 52% and Taranaki increased 52%.[2]
Here is what some of our Methodist organisations are doing to address the housing crisis and homelessness. Members of Christchurch Methodist Mission’s Housing First team observed World Homeless Day on the 10th October with an event at Tūranga, the new library. They challenged commonly held myths associated with homelessness. The extent of the homeless problem in Christchurch and how it is being managed were explained in displays and videos. These included photos of people holding signs they had made explaining how they came to be homeless.
People shared their stories of how they became homeless in this video https://www.facebook.com/housingfirstchch/videos/975943689421150/
Housing First Christchurch also recently opened a pātaka kai (food pantry) outside its premises. It is designed to assist Housing First Christchurch kaewa (clients) and those in the community struggling with everyday living. People are invited to leave food (non-perishable or fresh from their garden) or to come and help themselves to what they need.
Congratulations to Christchurch Methodist Mission who was a finalist in the Westpac Champions Business awards in recognition of their work leading the Housing First initiative in Christchurch.
Christchurch Methodist Mission also provides Housing First in Blenheim, which has one the highest rates of homelessness per capita in Aotearoa New Zealand with over 100 households needing houses urgently. The demand in Blenheim arose from the decrease in Housing New Zealand houses available, increasing numbers of households on the Social Housing Register, a sharp increase in the costs of rentals, and the demand for housing from seasonal workers. In this very difficult housing market, Housing First in Blenheim have housed six people since 1 July 2019.
Moira Lawler, Chief Executive of Lifewise, explains, “There is no ‘typical’ homeless person. Homelessness affects women, children, young people, whole families, and single men. People are starting to understand that homelessness is not a choice but rather an absence of choices: the last resort." Lifewise organises the Big Sleepout in Rotorua and Auckland, a fundraising event which raises awareness of homelessness with participants spending one night on a piece of cardboard on cold concrete and gain an insight into what it means to sleep rough. Participants also have the opportunity to meet with inspiring people who have experienced and escaped homelessness. Funds raised goes towards Lifewise’s work towards ending homelessness.
Bruce Stone, Chief Executive of Airedale Property Trust, was one of the participants in the Big Sleepout in Rotorua, on 5th September. The venue was changed due to the weather forecast and temperatures dropped to a low of 9°C overnight. Congratulations to Bruce who topped the fundraising leaderboards in both the individual and the team categories!
Homelessness should be brief, rare and non-recurring. The right to housing is a fundamental human right. New Zealand is a signatory to many international treaties that recognise the fundamental human right to adequate housing.
A focus on human rights ensures that people are kept at the centre of housing services. A rights based approach makes sure the wellbeing and dignity of the person is considered, and shifts the focus off the bricks and mortar of housing.
Housing is frequently referred to in terms of supply and demand or an asset which will provide a return on investment. This view fails to consider the fundamental link of housing to the person as well as to place - the community and environment where houses are located. Houses are where people make their home, where roots are put down and memories are made – all of which make a home so much more than a mere house. Where we live affects who we are, what we do and goes to the core of our identity. Place often comes with historic meaning, where significant things have happened which are remembered and provide links across the generations. Individuals are often strongly connected to the land and the community in which they live.
This is why people in Housing First are given the choice of where they want to live and what they want to focus on. When people are given the freedom to pursue choices they see as meaningful and valuable, they are more engaged with the recovery process, and have more self-determination and confidence in their own abilities to succeed in life. This is a huge difference for people whose experience has been one of systems that have repeatedly failed them in the past.
“My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.”
Isaiah 32:18
Carol Barron, Methodist Alliance National Coordinator, Carol@MethodistAlliance.org.nz
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