Nearly one thousand motel units have been found for homeless and vulnerable people in response to the Covid-19 crisis, with nearly five hundred units now occupied, Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods said
.”Ensuring all New Zealanders are as safe as possible from the impacts of Covid-19 is a top priority for this government. In the last two weeks there has been a massive effort to connect people who are homeless and living rough, with accommodation and social services. Many have been living on the streets or in unsuitable places where social distancing was not possible.”
“As of Thursday evening 962 motel units in 15 towns and cities across New Zealand had been secured and made available, and 496 units already have homeless and vulnerable people living in them.”
“Officials across government are working with housing providers, iwi and Māori organisations, local government and social services to ensure our most vulnerable people have somewhere to live.
“This is a massive, on-going effort and I want to thank all those people who are doing this important work.”
“I’m hearing a lot of heart-warming stories about people who have not had decent shelter let alone a bed to sleep in, for a very long time, being moved into accommodation and feeling incredibly relieved to have somewhere to live.”
“The various groups involved in this effort are assisting these people with food parcels, hygiene packs and sometimes providing them with phones so they can easily communicate with them during the lockdown.”
“Community groups also tell me more people who have been living rough are now coming forward for help, so now they have started engaging they can continue to help them.”
“The Government’s Homeless Action Plan laid out a range of actions we are taking to tackle homelessness and we will continue to give as much support as we can to the most vulnerable members of our community,” Megan Woods said.
