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
Homelessness does not have to be an insurmountable problem. “Shifting the needle on homelessness statistics in a truly meaningful way will take a collective and sustained effort” says Vinnies South Australia chief executive Evelyn O’Loughlin. She says organisations like Vinnies (the Society of St Vincent de Paul), all levels of government, businesses and the community Read more
Few American cities face a more daunting homeless crisis than San Francisco, where on any given day 38,000 people walk the streets and settle into doorways and back alleys without food or shelter. On top of that challenge, the Bay Area is home to a rapidly growing immigrant population from a host of countries, whose Read more
There are more homeless people than ever, and safe places to sleep are both essential and in short supply. Dunedin’s Night Shelter Trust says immediate and long-term solutions are essential. The Night Shelter currently provides beds, bathroom and laundry facilities for six homeless people. It’s fundraising to provide for six more. That’s just a temporary Read more
An Auckland youth offending programme is hopeful ongoing funding will be available through a social bond investment. Its success to date has generated optimism for similar future investments under a National-led government. Since its inception six years ago, the Genesis Youth Trust-run programme has reduced youth offending notably. Compared to a similar risk group, participants Read more
In recent days the home secretary of the UK, Suella Braverman, has described rough sleeping as a “lifestyle choice” while defending her decision to restrict the use of tents by homeless people on the streets of Britain. More than that, it is rumored that charitable organisations that supply tents to the homeless might themselves be Read more
The Passage, based in Westminster, is among the charities that have refuted Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s controversial claim that rough sleepers were making a “lifestyle choice”. The Passage, which has Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols as patron, said: “The people we work with have not chosen to be on the streets; circumstances have put Read more
Homeless people account for about 42,000 New Zealanders and Doug and Krystal say the Orange Sky service is “so helpful” to them. They say great to know they can shower, wash their clothes and “have interesting chats”. Put another way, that’s nearly the same as the population of Whanganui, a couple of thousand fewer than Read more
Last Thursday Chris Bishop MP asked the Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment about people sleeping in cars. It’s almost impossible to know, exactly, how many people sleep in cars. “None”, would be the best answer. But this isn’t a “best answer” world. One measure is how many people on the Housing Register (essentially Read more
Bracing for the relentless onslaught of wet winter days, people living on the streets of Auckland declare themselves warriors in an unyielding battle to stay warm. In the last year, the number of residents notifying Auckland City Mission about the welfare of people sleeping rough has doubled. The notifications sounded the alarm on the dire Read more