The Green Party says the Government’s new funding for homelessness, announced yesterday, is a drop in the bucket to address the crisis in New Zealand.
“This is the worst homelessness in our history, with 57,000 women homeless and half of all homeless people under the age of 24. The Government’s response has been a drop in the bucket to meaningfully address this crisis,” says Green Party housing spokesperson Tamatha Paul.
“The Housing First waitlist is rising while 33% of emergency housing applications were declined. Community organisations are telling us that homelessness is at the highest in New Zealand’s history. To tackle the issue, we need more than the drips and drabs being given out randomly from this Government.”
“Frontline organisations are screaming out for more funding. They could end homelessness overnight with the right support. Unfortunately, the Government has chosen handcuffs over housing by ignoring these pleas and instead introducing cruel Move-On Orders legislation.”
“The Green Party has a bill on the order paper, the Duty to Assist, which would make sure every young person leaving state care can access secure housing. With half of all homeless people under 24, that is not a nice-to-have. It is the difference between a young person getting a start in life and being pushed towards the criminal justice system.”
“Homelessness continues to trend up in Wellington. This is upsetting because it is entirely preventable. There is a strong willingness on the ground to provide the housing and care needed to break cycles of homelessness here in Pōneke.”
“The Green Party are calling on political parties to support Hon Marama Davidson’s bill to introduce Duty to Assist legislation, and have committed to ending homelessness through funding Housing First organisations and building enough public housing to clear the waitlist,” says Paul.
