Government spends $22 million on housing homeless in motels during lockdown

Auckland's Homeless Count found an estimated 800 people were living on the city's streets, while almost 3000 people were in temporary housing. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The Government spent almost $22 million on housing New Zealand's homeless in motels across the country during the Covid-19 lockdown, according to new documents.

They reveal that 90 motels, from the majority of New Zealand's major sectors, were home to 1200 homeless during level 4.

Of those, almost 460 people were put up in 26 motels across Auckland at a cost of just under $9m.

Close to 320 people were temporarily put up in 21 motels in the Bay of Plenty – costing almost $6m.

The funding is part of the $107m the Government set aside for housing the homeless during the Covid-19 lockdown.

"Finding safe accommodation for our most vulnerable people through the Covid-19 pandemic has been a key priority for the Government," Housing Minister Megan Woods said in late April.

"People living rough or in accommodation where social distancing was not possible were especially vulnerable to Covid-19."

Woods' announcement came after the money had been spent, given the lockdown ended April 27.

The OIA, released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) said that the people placed in the motels during lockdown were also being supported by other wrap-around and mental health services.

"This includes regular checks on their wellbeing, ensuring they're able to access food and welfare and connecting them with other essential services, such as healthcare."

It added that work is under way to provide more permanent housing for those put up in motels during lockdown.

The motels were initially contracted for three months, but HUD said there was some variation when it came that length of time people stayed.

More than a third of the total number of those put up in motels were in Auckland.

There were 112 people temporarily housed in Wellington, at a cost of $1.2m.

Some 80 people were put up on the East Coast and 75 in Canterbury.

The more than $100m in funding for this project was one of the first of the Government's pre-Covid-19 Budget announcements.