Each day in New Zealand 30,000 people are sleeping rough on city streets and in parks – about the same number as the population of Ashburton. Thousands more are couch surfing, living in vehicles and constantly moving through a series of short-term temporary accommodation. The latest statistics released showed that New Zealand has about 102,000 Read more
Kisa Vaoga is hoping her new home will be the start of a new life that will see her one day become a judge. The mother of two this week moved into her new home in Taitā with partner Jaiden Ah-Waihi and children Leiloa, 5, and Jhavis, 9. Having spent time in a motel after Read more
The government cannot give a deadline for phasing out emergency motel accommodation, but the Social Development Minister told Checkpoint she would reveal the results of a review and redesign by the end of the year. A “bloody fiasco”, a “failed govt experiment”, and “tantamount to child abuse” – some of the descriptions of the accommodation. Read more
Nearly $70 million has been spent on emergency housing in Rotorua over almost five years and the average stay in motels has stretched to 35 weeks, new figures reveal. A slide presentation by the Rotorua Lakes Council, obtained by the Rotorua Daily Post Weekend, also reveals Government officials were warned about the city’s dire situation Read more
There’s no provision for homeless people between lockdowns in Victoria. The government provides funds for emergency hotel accommodation during lockdowns – but once the crisis is over, the homeless are out on their own again. It’s back to the streets or unstable housing. Housing providers say the on-again, off-again provisions are frustrating. They can’t always Read more