Housing Minister acknowledges 'frustration' in Rotorua, says new homes on the way
Thursday, 24 March 2022
Housing Minister Megan Woods visited Rotorua on Thursday to call in at the recently completed Te Pokapū housing hub, admitting there is “some frustration in Rotorua as we continue with our plan to address homelessness”.
“But we are starting to see green shoots,” she said.
Woods visited the hub, which was described as a critical turning point in the Government’s actions to better support people living in emergency housing motels in the city.
Woods said the hub would also be “a template” for the rest of New Zealand.
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“Te Pokapū, a community-led housing hub in central Rotorua, is a single access point connecting people with the right support services for them,” said Woods.
“It is the result of many months of careful planning, and could not have been achieved without a strong partnership between Te Taumata, social service providers, MSD, and Lakes DHB.
“This one-stop shop provides crucial support for people in Government-contracted motels, including services to help whānau settle into their accommodation, social worker support, Ready-to Rent programmes, budgeting training, numeracy and literacy training, and after-school and holiday programmes for children.
“This hub is a key part of the moves we made last year to ensure there is wrap-around support for whanau and tamariki living in motels,” she said.
Woods said their new approach was about “implementing short-term solutions, with the aim of building long term self-sufficiency, while continuing our hard work to deliver more permanent housing.”
Woods also said they would “keep a focus on good motel management for the benefit of tenants and the wider community”.
“We recognise there is still some frustration in Rotorua as we continue with our plan to address homelessness while working at pace to increase supply,” Woods said.
“But we are starting to see green shoots.”
She said 220 homes were under construction in Rotorua, “or in the planning stage” and promised 109 new homes by early next year.
Back in May a taskforce of government agencies, iwi and council came together to develop an emergency housing model for Rotorua that saw Government directly contract motels, grouping tamariki in suitable motels and providing wrap around services.
However, correspondence between Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick and Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni, obtained by Stuff, revealed a litany of ongoing issues around Rotorua’s homeless motels.