Homeless in Northland to be eligible for housing

Adrian Whale has lauded the Housing First programme but wants to see more details on how it will work. Photo / John Stone

Access to housing for homeless Northlanders isn't far away as the region has been selected to receive government funding towards long-term homes in a scheme likely to be worth millions of dollars.

Northland will get a slice of $63.4 million under the Housing First programme throughout New Zealand over the next four years in a bid to help end homelessness— a move welcomed by housing activists in Whangārei.

Housing First is a programme to house and support people who have been homeless for a long time and face multiple and complex issues such as poor physical or mental health, unemployment or drug abuse.

The Ministry of Social Development will fund providers like those currently providing temporary housing in Northland to deliver Housing First services and will pay rent subsidies for tenants.

The Ministry of Housing is still working through details around the exact funding, number and type of houses to be either built or purchased in Northland, and where.

Carol Peters of One Double Five Community House in Whangārei is glad Northland has been chosen for the programme but said it would be good if young families with children were included in the initiative.

Northland Housing Forum Convener Tim Howard said the programme was a genuine attempt to work on those who were the hardest to house.

"Even at its best, this programme won't be able to solve the housing problem for a large proportion of those who are rough sleepers. We're waiting for a more robust housing strategy from the government," he said.

Adrian Whale, chairman of Tai Tokerau Emergency Housing Trust, said the Housing First programme was laudable but more details on how it would work were needed.

"It's about taking housing stress out of people's lives and to deal with underlying issues. There's not one housing model that will solve the problem."

Whale said more houses needed to be built to accommodate struggling families in Northland and elsewhere.

Housing Minister Phil Twyford said Northland was selected for funding because the area has a high number of people in insecure housing, transitional housing and receiving Emergency Housing Special Needs Grants.

"Government will take a staged approach to expanding the programme into Whangārei and Northland, which we expect to begin later this year or next year," Twyford said.

"Ending homelessness is a priority for the government. Every person has a right to a warm, dry, secure and safe place to live," he said.

Twyford said after the success of Housing First in Auckland, his ministry was excited to expand the programme to other regions.

Under the approach, the ministry would provide housing quickly then offer tailored support for as long as was needed to help people stay housed and to lead better lives.

"Housing First aims to end homelessness for people, not just manage it. The goal is that homelessness should be brief, rare and non-recurring.

"People who are homeless a long time are very vulnerable. They often face complex issues such as poor health or mental health, substance abuse and unemployment. Stable housing is a vital first step in helping them turn their lives around," he said.