The hub provides advocacy, information and resources, home assessments including repairs, advice around housing options and ongoing support for whānau requiring assistance.
On the horizon are plans to assist whānau into home ownership and papakainga housing.
Seven initiative partners for the scheme are Wairoa Young Achievers Trust, Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa, Te Whare Maire o Tapuwae/Whānau Ora, Ngati Kahungunu Wairoa Taiwhenua Inc, Kahungunu Executive Health and Social Services, Wairoa District Council and Wairoa Waikaremoana Māori Trust Board.
The housing coalition was formed as a result of the need for housing in a region where housing development has been absent since the 1980s, with a shortfall of at least 150 houses.
The Green Party co-leader said the 10 selected initiatives focus on Māori, Pasifika and rangatahi “as part of this Government's commitment to supporting communities that are more likely to experience discrimination and isolation”.
“Supporting local leadership is essential for helping prevent and respond to homelessness in the community,” Ms Davidson said. “Our local leaders have the knowledge and connections to bring about effective change that best meets the needs of their people and regions.”
During her visit, Ms Davidson heard the issues small towns faced when dealing with central government, and said the visit provided valuable insight.
She was impressed with Wairoa's collaborative approach to its housing needs through the housing coalition and housing hub. She now had a stronger understanding of the challenges rural towns experience.
Deputy Mayor Denise Eaglesome-Karekare was present, representing Mayor Craig Little, Tātau Tātau o Te Wairoa housing arm and as a partner for the Wairoa Young Achievers Trust.
Ms Eaglesome-Karekare said Minister Davidson was “absolutely committed to ongoing support and expressed that she would be talking to people she needed to regarding housing”.
“The Minister was genuinely interested in the concerns around housing in Wairoa.”
Ms Davidson also discussed her work as Minister for Sexual Violence.
Ms Eaglesome-Karekare said Enabled staff were able to talk about the work they are undertaking in that space, and how everything they discussed falls within Ms Davidson's portfolios. They talked of how they were linked, and played a part in where whānau ended up.
Wairoa and other rural regions were now likely to be on her radar, she said.
Enabled chief executive Shelley Smith described their approach as a Wairoa-led model with regard to providing support and safety around family and/or sexual violence.
Enabled chairman Mark Oberman said Enabled worked in crisis management and response, seeking long-term solutions, acknowledging that whānau being housed was the fundamental factor for addressing other social issues.
He noted that Wairoa faced challenges for the fact that it often did not meet the metrics used by central government regarding funding allocation.
The $16.6 million Local Innovation and Partnership Fund was established in 2020 and is one of 18 activities within the Aotearoa/New Zealand Homelessness Action Plan to support local initiatives responding to homelessness. The scheme recognises that respective regions face varying drivers of homelessness with needs that may not be addressed by existing policy operatives.
