I listened to something on RNZ the other day, an interview with a lady who works with the homeless. She said that quite a lot of them were 'intentionally' homeless and that when they were provided with alternatives they would often reappear on the streets within days.

I have no idea why that is.

However, if the people truly do not want to live in houses etc (and to be honest, how would they pay rent etc?) I think we could throw up large dormitories based on industrial sheds (to keep the design simple and the cost reasonable) and then allow them to stay there. Even in NZ it ought to be possible to build such things relatively quickly.

Because mental health issues? I don't know what the answer is, but I really don't think it is to build a slum. 

Unfortunately the housing crisis is a problem that's been brewing for 10 - 15 years, and even with the best political will in the world it's going to take at least another 10 - 15 years to catch up the deficit.

The government seems to think that increasing the accommodation supplement is the solution, but all that does is shift the problem from those eligible for the accommodation supplement to those who aren't. If there aren't enough houses then there aren't enough houses, no matter how you shuffle money around. 

MikeB4: Agencies like Housing NewZealand and low cost high density is not the answer also. They create more social problems than they solve, create poverty traps and perpetuate need.

Agencies like Housing New Zealand and WINZ can help if things are correctly structured.

I know people who will be put at a significant financial disadvantage from their current position if they attempt to upskill with training or education, or get anything less than a full time 40 hour job, to the extent where they would no longer be able to live where they live, as they live. The current setup of these policies to help low income people means that as soon as they seek to do anything more than a full time job at The Warehouse (if they can find one), they're trapped there now too, with the same financials and more stress to boot. Why would you want to do that to yourself?

Get Studylink under control, and adjust things to stop penalizing unskilled people from getting skills and entering the work force, change the HNZ strategy to 1. not penalize people for an increase in income, and 2. provide a certain quota of housing to anyone who wants it, to help increase diversity of residence and income to further finance development of additional housing. It's not a magic bullet, but it'll do a damn sight better than what's going on now with HNZ in the rural areas. No clue about what can be done to work on Auckland, but that's a whole different kettle of fish.

It's not rocket science, we've just got to shake this mentality people seem to have nationally of refusing to help someone, because there's nothing perceivable in it for them.

networkn:

 

To whom? Labour? Surely you'd be kidding? They can't organize policy to save their lives. Do they have a specific social policy to address the homeless population in NZ? 

 

networkn:

 

For what it's worth, I was recently in Paris and London, I saw many more homeless and begging than I've seen in 15 years of being in Auckland. 

 

Sam91:

 

Population density would be one reason. Perhaps a higher percentage of homeless people beg in Paris compared to Auckland, hence the homeless problem seems to me more prevalent. My point being, begging may be a necessity over there, but in Auckland many homeless people will be on social welfare.

My own anecdote, I walked past a car outside Auckland Library yesterday, and unless you're nosy like me, you'd never have realised that it was actually someone's home. In the few years I've been walking Queen St to Uni, the problem is definitely not getting better. 

 

Well, heres mine. I have personally met 3 people who pretend to be homeless and beg in Auckland central who make very very good money who go home to their nice houses and nice cars.

Pumpedd:

 

This Govt has done a lot of good things over the years, but the social cost has been way too high. Housing and Health are huge issues.

 

Have they though? IMO  they have just been plodding along, and letting the free market take care of things. In some ways they have had a lot of luck with the financial growth. But they have also opened the flood gates on immigration, which makes the books look a lot better. Why are they letting in all these people, when were have a housing crisis, and can't house a lot of those people already living here? Maybe that is why they don't want to call it a crisis. Immigration numbers are also only getting worse, as per this article http://www.interest.co.nz/property/88900/record-arrivals-non-new-zealand-citizens-push-population-growth-migration-yet-another    They have also let the gap between rich and poor only widen. Also housing is now at crisis levels. I don't think Labour would have done any better though, but both of the two highest polling parties are pretty much a sameness, and very central.

networkn:

 

Well, heres mine. I have personally met 3 people who pretend to be homeless and beg in Auckland central who make very very good money who go home to their nice houses and nice cars.

 

I find this remark highly offensive. Are you trying to suggest that homelessness doesn't exist and all beggars have upmarket lifestyles? You are usually better than this kind of crap.

mattwnz:

 

Pumpedd:

 

This Govt has done a lot of good things over the years, but the social cost has been way too high. Housing and Health are huge issues.

 

 

 

 

Have they though? IMO  they have just been plodding along, and letting the free market take care of things. In some ways they have had a lot of luck with the financial growth. But they have also opened the flood gates on immigration, which makes the books look a lot better. They have also let the gap between rich and poor only widen. ALso housing is now at crisis levels. I don't think Labour would have done any better though, but both of the two highest polling parties are pretty much a sameness, and very central.

 

I agree

Health and Social policies are not the Nats target market. Neither are green policies. We are small enough to be forced to ride the global wave. So, many policies will not make a difference as many factors are out of our control. Should a health and social Govt come into power, you would hope they will improve matters, but nothing is free. Money for the ailing health system and social policies has to come from somewhere. Either way there is no magic bullet, so the opponents, whoever they may be will have plenty to whine about. As little ownership is taken

A lot of people say NZ doesn't really have many actual 'homeless', people as most people should have some shelter. But we have a lot of people who are either in 'emergency accommodation' which is costing us tax payers over 50 million dollar a year at the current rate. Then we have a lot of people in what the government calls, 'transition housing', which I am guessing is a temporary but possibly sub standard  solution, until a more permanent solution is found. Does NZ have housing crisis? Well everyone apart from the government seems to think so. So why hasn't the government admitted to it yet?  Also why does housing in Auckland average nearly a million dollars, and why is over 50% of that just on land regulations (http://www.interest.co.nz/property/88883/government-says-land-use-regulation-blame-56%C2%A0-cost-average-house-auckland)

If Labour were smart, they would be concentrating their efforts into this, and making the government look bad. But their solutions don't look much better.

networkn:

 

Sam91:

 

Population density would be one reason. Perhaps a higher percentage of homeless people beg in Paris compared to Auckland, hence the homeless problem seems to me more prevalent. My point being, begging may be a necessity over there, but in Auckland many homeless people will be on social welfare.

My own anecdote, I walked past a car outside Auckland Library yesterday, and unless you're nosy like me, you'd never have realised that it was actually someone's home. In the few years I've been walking Queen St to Uni, the problem is definitely not getting better. 

 

 

Well, heres mine. I have personally met 3 people who pretend to be homeless and beg in Auckland central who make very very good money who go home to their nice houses and nice cars.

 

People who beg, or wash windscreeens etc, are very likely not included in the homeless stats. The homeless people refer to people who aren't living in their own home, and are in needed of either a  state house or private rental. So they will either be living in 'transition' accommodation provided by the state, or emergency accommodation (eg motels) . One problem is how 'homeless' is defined by the government, eg they may only define homeless as those people in emergency accommodation. Whereas internationally it maybe defined as people who aren't living in a permanent home. I thought the UK had bad homeless figures, as they have a lot of people in temporary accommodation that it is not fit for purpose (eg leaks, mouldy, old etc. ), waiting for permanent housing.  I didn't realise NZs figures were potentially  so much worse. A pity there hasn't been much in the media actually looking into this, but the media in NZ is now so weak and mainly report on things that get a high number of clicks.

mattwnz:

 

networkn:

 

Sam91:

 

Population density would be one reason. Perhaps a higher percentage of homeless people beg in Paris compared to Auckland, hence the homeless problem seems to me more prevalent. My point being, begging may be a necessity over there, but in Auckland many homeless people will be on social welfare.

My own anecdote, I walked past a car outside Auckland Library yesterday, and unless you're nosy like me, you'd never have realised that it was actually someone's home. In the few years I've been walking Queen St to Uni, the problem is definitely not getting better. 

 

 

Well, heres mine. I have personally met 3 people who pretend to be homeless and beg in Auckland central who make very very good money who go home to their nice houses and nice cars.

 

 

 

 

People who beg, or wash windscreeens etc, are very likely not included in the homeless stats. The homeless people refer to people who aren't living in their own home, and are in needed of either a  state house or private rental. So they will either be living in 'transition' accommodation provided by the state, or emergency accommodation (eg motels) . One problem is how 'homeless' is defined by the government, eg they may only define homeless as those people in emergency accommodation. Whereas internationally it maybe defined as people who aren't living in a permanent home. I thought the UK had bad homeless figures, as they have a lot of people in temporary accommodation that it is not fit for purpose (eg leaks, mouldy, old etc. ), waiting for permanent housing.  I didn't realise NZs figures were potentially  so much worse. A pity there hasn't been much in the media actually looking into this, but the media in NZ is now so weak and mainly report on things that get a high number of clicks.

 

Id say they will now be over this like a Ferrari at Monza. Its great news, as in negative, sensational and election savvy. Sad thing is its real. News last night had a family in a motel. Govt says $150,000 or $180,000 per week for motels. Or per day, can't recall. If the media pick up on it, it will be nightly news, and it should be.

Rikkitic:

networkn:

Well, heres mine. I have personally met 3 people who pretend to be homeless and beg in Auckland central who make very very good money who go home to their nice houses and nice cars.

I find this remark highly offensive. Are you trying to suggest that homelessness doesn't exist and all beggars have upmarket lifestyles? You are usually better than this kind of crap.

 

This is an interesting article, and does state that NZs homelessness is the worst in the OECD.  There has to be something very wrong with current policies for that to occur imo.

http://www.interest.co.nz/property/88905/social-housing-register-waiting-list-hits-new-record-high-june-amy-adams-says-rising