Thousands of Kiwi children are homeless, with many missing out on schooling and basic medical care.
A new Otago University study has used 2006 census data to provide the first measure of homelessness, finding that 34,000 people suffer “severe housing deprivation”.
Researchers say the problem has “inevitably” worsened since 2006, with a deepening housing shortage and rising demand for support services.
Far from the stereotype of the grizzled man sleeping on the street, more than half of New Zealand’s homeless were under 25, and a quarter were children. Most lived temporarily with friends or family, squeezed into living-rooms or garages, rather than on the streets. Continue reading