Housing is a human right

Starting in February last year, Lifewise and Auckland City Mission began providing housing and flexible community-based support for people experiencing chronic homelessness in the city centre. We support people who have found it most difficult to get off the streets: People who have been rough sleeping for a year or more, those who have at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years as well as two or more co-existing issues, such as addictions or mental health issues.

Project lead Julie Nelson said the findings from the report A stocktake of New Zealand’s Housing re-affirm the Housing First Auckland collective’s view that no single organisation, agency, service, department or sector can end homelessness working alone.

When a rough sleeper died on the steps of a Manurewa church last winter, community workers in South Auckland doubled down to find homeless residents somewhere to sleep. Yvonne Tahana met with Rami Alrudaini to find out how LinkPeople have been supporting the community using the Housing First approach.

Reporter Chris Harrowell caught up with Rami Alrudaini from LinkPeople to find out more about how Housing First is housing people sleeping rough in Manurewa, as part of a community-wide response to homelessness in its town centre.

The Housing First model has taken around 1000 people off the street and put them into houses in Hamilton and Auckland in the last three years. Nicola Kean takes a look at the programme, and talks to some of those it’s helped.