The Government’s emergency housing system is in breach of the human rights of those it aims to help, but it is not beyond repair.
That's according to a report released today by Te Kāhui Tika Tangata, the Human Rights Commission.
Chief Human Rights Commissioner Paul Hunt says an emergency housing system should be accountable to those it serves and reduce homelessness.
“Yet these features are lacking in parts of our emergency housing system, and constitute a breach of the human rights of those it is meant to help,” Hunt says.
The report, Homelessness and Human Rights, heard from young people who felt so unsafe in accommodation that they returned to living on the street.
“We also heard stories of children who are now two or three years old and have only ever known living in a motel room,” Hunt says.
In the report, the Commission found three key breaches of the right to a decent home grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi:
- A failure to deliver human rights obligations to provide emergency housing that meets basic standards of decency.
- The Government’s decision in 2020 to exclude emergency accommodation and transitional housing from the Residential Tenancies Act.
- A failure to place accountability arrangements for the right to a decent home.
- The report recommends human rights' breaches be addressed and the government create a single system of emergency housing that:
- Meets urgent housing need at a range of levels and requirements.
- Be designed, developed, and delivered with Tangata Whenua, and respond to Māori needs and te ao Māori responses to homelessness.
- Actively supports and builds on community, hapū and iwi initiatives.
- Be developed in participation with those who have lived experience of homelessness and the emergency housing system.
The report also calls on the government to phase out the use of commercial accommodation, such as motels not under government contract.
When Covid-19 hit hard, Rotorua’s famous gateway, the motels of Fenton St, went from holiday to emergency housing. (Source: 1News)
Last week the government wound down mixed-use motels as accommodation to almost zero in Rotorua.
In September, a TVNZ Sunday investigation uncovered emergency accommodation along Rotorua's Fenton Street was in crisis.
“In Aotearoa, neither homelessness nor a failing emergency housing system are acceptable and both fall short of human rights standards,” Hunt says.
Government on emergency housing
In a separate announcement on Tuesday, the government said it agreed to examine key actions from a review of the emergency housing system.
The review was conducted by the Ministry for Housing and Urban Development and the Ministry of Social Development.
Minister for Housing Megan Woods says the review confirms what the government has been saying for some time about emergency housing.
The city's mayor is confident Rotorua will rise again. (Source: 1News)
"Not enough houses have been built in the right places, for the right prices," Woods says.
The ten actions approved by Cabinet for the emergency housing review are:
- To implement a new assessment and referral pathway for emergency accommodation and support.
- Update guidance for MSD frontline staff and others.
- Provide better information to emergency housing special needs grant clients about their rights and obligations and what they can expect.
- Develop a framework for poor behaviour while receiving an emergency housing special needs grant.
- Set standards for emergency housing special needs grant suppliers.
- Develop plans to increase the availability of suitable emergency housing alternatives to motels in Hamilton city and Wellington.
- Invest in Māori initiatives to reduce demand or provide alternatives to emergency housing for Māori in areas with high levels of deprivation.
- Design a new model of housing support services for clients across the emergency housing system.
- Increase existing supports for emergency housing special needs grant clients.
- Explore further cross-government prevention and support actions for the emergency housing system.
“The number of people in emergency housing has fallen every month over the last year," Woods says.
"But there will remain a need for emergency housing until all the houses we need, are built."
“Increasing supply of appropriate accommodation and wrap-around social and health support will be investigated for both Hamilton and Wellington."
"Like Rotorua, these cities have a low number of affordable houses and high numbers of people in emergency housing."
According to Woods, consultation with local agencies, iwi and councils to consider appropriate solutions for these cities will get underway next year.
Cabinet will then consider final proposals and a plan.
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