We now have families holed up in motels, living in parks or stuck in transitional housing while, in my view, the Government twiddles its thumbs and sits on its hands.
I understand the problem is historic but it is not good enough. The latest figures show there are 2816 public or state homes in the Bay of Plenty, 269 transitional housing placements alongside more than 40 motels who are registered to take homeless families.
But it still isn't enough as families sit on waiting lists for state homes and private rentals.
The future looks bleak with 495 people in Tauranga alone on the waiting list for a state or social home in December 2019, which doesn't take into consideration the private rental market which is also under huge pressure.
This newspaper compiled a special report on Saturday which delved deeper into the issue and it is pleasing to see those organisations at the forefront are getting some traction despite the hurdles.
Janine Cork is starting over and for the first time in five years, she will have a permanent residence to call home.
She has lived in transitional housing in Tauranga for three of those five years with her son and says her life started to fall apart after her landlords decided to move in.
Her story is not uncommon and Te Tuinga Whanau Support Services Trust case worker Tracey Wilson says Cork has applied for hundreds of rentals and was rejected despite visiting some offices in person, which was ''nothing short of humiliating''.
But now Cork is looking forward to the future and Ministry for Social Development acting regional commissioner Kim Going acknowledged, for some people, there is a long wait for social housing.
Getting a state house these days is like winning the lottery.
This is a major stuff-up. Housing minister Housing Megan Woods is now working with Rotorua Lakes District Council and Te Arawa to better understand the housing and urban issues affecting the city.
It's time she did the same thing in Tauranga. The government needs to start building more houses.
