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In Tauranga, an estimated 2.8% of the city’s population - about 4000 people - experience homelessness in some form.
The Aotearoa Homelessness Summit on April 16 will address the challenges and effects of homelessness.
Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale emphasises a multi-agency response backed by effective Government policy and funding.
Sleeping bags in doorways are not an unusual sight in Tauranga - but a group of agencies want that to change.
The Aotearoa Homelessness Summit will take place on April 16 at the University of Waikato’s Tauranga Campus to help address the ongoing challenges and cascading effects of homelessness across various communities.
The theme of this year’s summit - When the Dominoes Keep Falling - will examine the ongoing challenges and cascading effects of homelessness.
Homelessness is a hugely complex problem for communities in New Zealand and around the world, Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale said.
The Aotearoa Homelessness Summit will take place on April 16 at the University of Waikato’s Tauranga Campus to help address the ongoing challenges and cascading effects of homelessness.
“There is no simple answer, but a genuine multi-agency community response, backed by effective Government policy and funding, does offer the best prospect of addressing the profound impacts of homelessness,” Drysdale said.
“I applaud this initiative and sincerely hope it can lead to effective initiatives to tackle what may be the most significant social issue of our time.”
Tauranga City Council manager of community development and emergency management Paula Naude said an estimated 2.8% of Tauranga’s population - about 4000 people - experienced homelessness in some form.
“These are just the recorded numbers,” Naude said.
“The actual number of people experiencing homelessness could be much higher, but some people aren’t seeking external support and are falling through the gaps.”
Homelessness isn’t merely people sleeping rough or in cars. It covers multiple situations including makeshift shelters, temporary accommodations, night shelters, boarding houses, refuges, motor campsites, shared living spaces, and uninhabitable housing.
“Homelessness is not a choice. At the Aotearoa Homelessness Summit, we need to address this collectively,” Naude said.
The summit’s keynote speaker is the Associate Minister for Housing and Minister of Whānau Ora, Māori Crown Relations and Māori Development, Tama Potaka.
A local government workshop on homelessness response will take place on Tuesday before the homelessness summit.
This pre-summit event will cover creating a New Zealand-based regional guide for homelessness response and reduction.
The Aotearoa Homelessness Summit is organised by the Tauranga City Council, University of Waikato (Tauranga), BayTrust, and several other organisations focused on housing and social support.
