Hundreds of kids are holed up in emergency housing motels in the Bay. Photo / Andrew Warner
The number of children living in emergency housing is soaring, up 62 per cent in the city - with one child saying they are "terrified".
A social agency says some children are internalising emotions, self-harming and are witnessing gang and family violence, and alcohol and drug use.
Parents are desperately trying to leave motels for the sake of their kids, with many losing hope due to no alternative being available.
Last month, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development directly contracted 12 motels for the exclusive use of emergency housing for 200 whānau with kids, with full wrap-around support in 260 units, since increased to 267.
There are 624 children living in emergency housing across the Bay of Plenty, with 381of those in Rotorua according to figures from the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) revealed under the Official Information Act.
MSD only started recording the household composition in April last year and declined a previous request from the Rotorua Daily Post for the exact numbers.
In the official response, the ministry stated clients get a dedicated case management service, and they could be referred to a navigator who helped co-ordinate community, health and government services.
It also stated children may have alternative living arrangements and might not be living in motels the whole time.
Family Works Waikato, Rotorua and Taupo area manager Lynne Fairs said the agency had a "huge" increase in the number of clients living in emergency housing, especially families.
Some kids were internalising everything, and some were self-harming. They're confined to their small motel unit, witnessing gang and family violence in the carpark.
"We have some workers where almost every client on their caseload is in emergency housing."
The kids told social workers how scared they felt, with many speaking of the drugs and alcohol use they saw, often in carparks, as well as seeing and hearing family violence.
One child told the team how "terrified" they were in a unit right beside gang members, which the motel was filled with, and the nights were filled with gang fights.
"They are scared.
"It's through no fault of their own that they are in emergency housing, but [parents] often struggle to shield their children from these things that wouldn't be happening if they were in their own home."
Some children also told Family Works they were left alone in the rooms as the parent felt it was okay given other people were around.
School attendance dropped with kids often housed outside their school zones, which meant they needed to either move schools or couldn't get there.
To help, vans were now picking kids up from motels.
"However, there is a stigma attached to this. Everyone knows they are from emergency housing when they get picked up and dropped off by the white van," she said.
These tamariki were "often embarrassed", and the social workers in schools saw poorer performance or behavioural outbursts stemming from a lack of feeling safe and stable.
She said some children lacked a sense of belonging and had displaced attachment.
Rentals were few and far between, reaching "astronomical" prices, and desperate parents were stressed, trying to get out of motels.
According to Trade Me, the median weekly rent was $490 last month.
"Having a home to live in is a very basic need. And for many people, it's just not an affordable option.
"It seems that once someone goes into emergency accommodation, it is almost impossible for them to get out."
Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency chairwoman and Rotorua Lakes councillor Merepeka Raukawa-Tait said children staying in motels needed specialist services, different to the support services provided for adults.
Schools could be helpful in alerting providers when behaviours that required early intervention began to surface, she said.
She suspected more families would wind up in motels and their stays would be longer, with no quick fix.
MSD figures reported by NZME earlier this year showed the number of emergency housing grants increased from 363 clients in the 2017/18 financial year to 2049 between April last year and March.
Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) engagement and communications manager Dennis de Reus said about 170 whānau had moved into the 12 motels for families, and getting the rest of the units filled would be through a "staggered approach to ensure sure we get the right people in the right place".
Four Rotorua-based social service providers - with experience in emergency and transitional housing, Corrections clients and families with mental health and drug addiction - were contracted to manage the accommodation.
They were currently co-designing how their services would work and would assess, place and support people in emergency housing, based on a kaupapa Māori approach.
Staff would be on-site at motels, meaning they had a better idea of the needs and could also refer people to other services.
These providers were working with Te Taumata o Ngāti Whakaue to support whānau into housing through a housing hub, Te Pokapū, supported by MSD.
Salvation Army Rotorua Corps manager Kylie Overby said parents often spoke about not letting their kids play outside because it's unsafe, or the thin walls meant conversations could be heard - "sadly people can't unhear what they hear".
The Ministry of Social Development said in the OIA response that it recognised the motels were not a long-term solution, rather they were a short-term solution while better options are explored.
It said the ministry was prioritising a dedicated case management service for all clients in emergency housing, which meant clients could access an integrated service to obtain all the support available to them from the ministry.
Anyone who needed more support beyond this could be referred to a navigator who could be hands-on in helping co-ordinate community, health and government services.
The ministry and navigators are in regular contact with clients.
Between 430 and 450 extra public homes in the Bay of Plenty were planned for under the Public Housing Plan 2021-2024 - this would total 650 new places since the last housing plan.
Kāinga Ora was also intensifying its efforts in the region to identify opportunities to build new housing to provide more permanent homes.
Addressing decades of under-investment in housing is challenging, won't be achieved overnight, and requires the commitment of many stakeholders – not just the Government.
Last month, a HUD spokesman said the Government was taking a deliberate, Māori and Iwi Housing Innovation and place-based approach in Rotorua after investment in "critical" collaborative planning with Te Arawa and Rotorua Lakes Council to develop housing solutions.
Intensification and opportunities to build more public housing would be possible through recent district plan changes, supported by an urban growth partnership.
Local authorities and developers in the Bay could also seek funding through the Infrastructure Acceleration Fund, announced by the Government this week. Expressions of interest opened on June 30.
• $55m shovel-ready investment to unlock land for development
• Work with council to give effect to the National Policy Statement - Urban Development for future growth
• Kāinga Ora has scaled up its build programme and is progressing further opportunities
Boxing Day shoppers in Rotorua and Tauranga are happy to be spending.