Hamilton in new trial to get childless adults out of long-term emergency housing

Tuesday, 19 November 2024

Up to 60 single people or couples in Hamilton will get help to leave long-term emergency housing for more permanent accommodation.

It’s part of a new two-centre trial announced by Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka.

From this month, the trial will involve social services provider Emerge Aotearoa in Waikato and the Wellington City Mission, Potaka said.

The Hamilton West MP noted how the Government was trying to reduce numbers in emergency housing by 75% by 2030. There’d been an initial focus on moving whānau with children from emergency housing motels to “more stable” housing.

Nationally, that had seen seen 726 households - including 1452 tamariki – moved between April and the end of September this year.

“Now we are putting in place a new [trial] initiative to help those in emergency housing without children move into more permanent homes,” Potaka said.

It will start with those who have been in emergency housing for more than 12 months.

The two-year trial would support up to 100 people. Eligible households will include those not already registered for another housing support service administered by the Ministry of Social Development.

In response to Waikato Times queries, Emerge Aotearoa estimated it would be able to help up to 60 people or couples under the trial.

Government figures showed approximately 50 households without children who have been in emergency housing in Hamilton for 12 months or more.

Potaka said the trial recognised people who have been in emergency housing for extended periods can have complex housing and support needs.

So support under the trial could include the likes of enrolment in primary health care, budgeting, employment, and counselling services, as well as support to open bank accounts, manage a tenancy agreement and gain a driver’s licence.

“It will be up to the service providers to determine how best to support each client in the trial,” Potaka said.

“An important element of the trial is to determine whether this approach is effective in helping people with complex needs get into a home and, just as important, successfully stay in that home.”

Potaka told the Waikato Times that the percentage of childless emergency housing residents had increased substantially to 61% of the households partly due to the success with moving whānau with children out.

“Single people and couples without children who have been in emergency housing for 12 months or more can often face complex challenges to making the move out into better homes.

“The trial has a flexible funding element to help enable providers to tailor their solutions. The total funding per person is currently commercially sensitive, but it will be lower than the per-person cost of emergency housing,” Potaka said.

“We’ve made it clear we want to return emergency housing to its original intent – as a last resort used for short periods to meet genuine need.”

In a statement, Hamilton East MP Ryan Hamilton welcomed the trial saying it recognised the importance of supporting people with complex needs to secure stable housing in the city.

“When individuals and families have a place to call home, it brings resilience, better health, and a stronger sense of community across the region.”

Emerge Aotearoa chief executive John Cook said his organisation was optimistic about the trial’s potential to make a meaningful difference.

The organisation would “aim to not only assist up to 60 people/couples in securing permanent housing but also equip them with the tools and resources necessary to maintain their tenancies and thrive in their communities”.

“By focusing on services such as primary healthcare enrolment, budgeting advice, employment assistance, and community reconnection we can help break down barriers to people securing and sustaining private housing.”