Emergency housing on Fenton St, Rotorua, has been the focus of controversy in recent times. Photo / Andrew Warner
Emergency housing on Fenton St, Rotorua, has been the focus of controversy in recent times. Photo / Andrew Warner
The number of households in emergency housing in Rotorua has dropped significantly in the past year, the Government is spending less on housing the homeless and fewer Rotorua motels are accepting emergency housing clients.
New figures supplied to the Rotorua Daily Post Weekend show 204 fewer households are living in non-contracted emergency housing than there were a year ago and at least 20 fewer motels were taking on the homeless compared with the peak of 62 motels in December last year.
Critics have said it is good news the Government is “finally” listening to locals but query where all those living in motels have gone.
Kāinga Ora says 27 public houses have been built in Rotorua since March this year.
The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) told the Rotorua Daily Post Weekend there were 372 households in non-contracted emergency housing in Rotorua last December. As of November 30 this year, there were 168.
In December 2021 there were 216 households in contracted emergency housing and that had dropped to 180 in October this year.
Quarterly housing reports show the amount of money spent on emergency housing grants is coming down.
In the three months to December 2021, the Government spent $4.6 million on emergency housing and special needs grants. It spent $5.4m in the three months to March this year.
But the figure dropped slightly in the three months to June when $5.1m was spent and reduced again in the three months to September when $4.3m was spent. The quarterly report for the three months ending December this year is due out next year.
Ministry of Social Development Bay of Plenty regional commissioner Mike Bryant. Photo / NZME
MSD regional commissioner Mike Bryant said he was pleased fewer people in Rotorua needed emergency housing support.
“Our regional housing team works closely with clients, accommodation suppliers and community partners to manage our use of motels and support people in their search for a suitable place to live.”
He said the work had been under way for some time and was delivering results.
“I’m proud of what our staff have achieved, alongside our community partners. We will continue to work with other government agencies, councils, iwi and community groups to help people find suitable long-term accommodation.”
In response to a question asking where the households had gone, Bryant said there was a range of accommodation types they could move to including private rentals and public or transitional housing.
“Everyone in emergency housing receives support from a dedicated case manager or housing navigator to help them make this happen.”
When asked if the ministry was now taking a stricter line or if there was a policy change to make sure those coming to Rotorua from outside the city had confirmed links to Rotorua, Bryant said: “We continue to ask for a valid and clear reason before any emergency housing support is provided for people to relocate from outside of their region.”
The Rotorua Daily Post Weekend asked if the ministry had encouraged some people in emergency housing to move back with family members.
Bryant responded by saying it was always clear to clients that emergency housing was a last resort.
“Our first move is to look at all other options they might have to avoid homelessness.”
He said this could include financial support to help people stay with family or friends, help with rent if they’re behind, help with paying bond for a new property, help negotiating with landlords to retain a tenancy, exploring accommodation options they can afford, or helping them into transitional housing.
A Ministry of Housing and Urban Development spokesperson said that at the peak of the emergency housing response in Rotorua, there were 62 motels in use. This consisted of 45 non-contracted motels used by the MSD and 13 contracted motels, three Covid-response motels (Tuscany Villas, Emerald Spa and Four Canoes) and one transitional housing motel (the former Boulevard Motel).
The spokesperson said that at the end of October this year, the total number of motels used had decreased to 45 and the MSD had exited a further three motels during November, taking the total number down to 42.
It was mentioned in a Rotorua Lakes Council meeting this week that taking into account December figures, which were not published on the Rotorua Housing Accord’s dashboard yet, there there were now 26 fewer motels with emergency housing clients.
Trevor Newbrook of Restore Rotorua has welcomed the news that the number of households in Rotorua emergency accommodation is falling. Photo / Andrew Warner
Resident lobby group Restore Rotorua chairman Trevor Newbrook said it was great news.
“Maybe MSD has relocated people back to where they came from? I do get a feeling that recently there are less people in the motels and out on the streets.”
He said while it did feel as if there were fewer people in motels now, he could only see a couple that had returned to accommodation.
“I would like to know, which are the 20 motels that no longer do emergency housing?”
He said if the number of people and properties had reduced so dramatically, the remainder should easily be put into 13 contracted emergency housing motels within the two-year timeframe independent commissioners had this week granted council resource consent for.
“Maybe the Government is finally listening to the people of Rotorua and will put a stop to their emergency housing experiment here.”
The Ministry of Social Development was approached for a response.
Rotorua MP Todd McClay said the reported reduction was pleasing. He said “after a long two years” the Government was “finally” starting to listen to Rotorua people. He said he wondered where all the households had moved to.
He called on Housing Minister Megan Woods to set a date when the Government would stop using motels in Rotorua and for her to commit to Kāinga Ora homes only going to local people.
“If she is not willing to do this, then all the promises she has made to date around emergency housing will be meaningless.”
Housing Minister Megan Woods says Labour has stepped in to tackle the housing crisis the National-led Government "presided over". Photo / NZME
In response, Woods said McClay seemed to have forgotten he was a Cabinet minister when the last National Party-led Government abandoned public housing and did nothing to stem a growing housing crisis.
“Rotorua had a net loss of 42 public housing under National and no plan to deliver any more in the city.”
She said Labour had stepped in to tackle the housing crisis that National “presided over”.
“While we get on with the job of delivering new public homes in Rotorua, National still has no plan for New Zealand’s housing crisis other than letting people go back to sleeping in doorways of Rotorua’s shops.”
She said that in the past week the Government had signed the Rotorua Housing Accord and released the emergency housing review.
“I suggest Mr McClay takes some time over the upcoming break to come up with some ideas to fix homelessness that will work, instead of always sniping from the sidelines.”
The Rotorua Daily Post Weekend asked Kāinga Ora how many new public homes had been completed in Rotorua this year.
In response, a spokesperson said there had been 27 since March. These are made up of one one-bedroom home, 13 two-bedroom homes, 10 three-bedroom and three four-bedroom homes. The homes are at Tania Cres, Turner Drive, Malfroy Rd, May Rd, Toru St and Island View Rd.
