August 10, 2024 • 8 mins
The number of households living in emergency housing has dropped by a third from December 2023 to June 2024.
Auckland saw the biggest drop, from 624 households to 354 households.
Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka joins Tim Beveridge on The Weekend Collective to discuss what caused the drop and where to go from here.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
You're listening to the Weekend collective podcast from News talks'd be.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
But where have they gone? What's happened and how what's
what's the way forward on improving these numbers even further?
And the Associate Housing Minister, Look, he's minister for lots
of things, but he's here in his capacity as Minister
Associate Minister for Housing. Timer Portucker joins me today, thanks.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Job someone thanks for having me on the show.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Yeah, thanks for joining us. Really appreciate your time. Hey,
look my first reaction thirty two percent in just six months.
Where have they gone? Have you just turfed them out
or something?
Speaker 3 (00:36):
No? No, Look, I think we're really focused on making
sure we get emergency housing and holding generally back on
strap and as a result, we've had a pretty deliberate
hand to ensure that those people going into emergency housing
have got a genuine need for a short term state.
Those that are in house emergency and I'm not supported
to get out, and of course the supply issues and
(00:57):
there has been a little bit more like come on drink.
So it's a plan is really focused and we really
want to make come at a gig of funer and
emergency housing come out as well.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
So basically have those thirty two percent just moved on
to a more permanent and more acceptable form of housing.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Yes, basically that is a Storians have gone through social
housing with buying order, community housing providers or transitional housing,
and about thirty percent have gone into private housing. Essentially
of a surprise to many people, that are a lot
of people that moved out or migrate out of emergency
of the private market.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
So how do we get it so wrong in the
last few years.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Well, I think well, it has been a social, physical,
and moral catastrophe and I think most of us are
aware of that, especially in places like Hamilton and Hamilton
West around the MP and drawn a couple of other
places where you know there's been a real instancification of BARNO,
particularly single mums and single fits and households have moved
(02:06):
into emergency and will let it supplide. So we're really
focused on making sure that the people are supported are
supported where they have genuine need to be an emergency
for a short spent stay, but we don't want it
to continue as a catastrophe or claimasy. Is what we've
seen in the last fule of years. We've got a
(02:26):
target that's to reduce it by seventy percent by twenty
thirty and blue suits we're down thirty two percent in
the last eight months.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
So what assurances are those There'll be people who are
suspicious of these headlines. What assurances can you provide that
these families haven't been shifted into other precarious housing situations.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Well, that's certainly not the basic space that we're seeing
these FINO movements, who most as I've said, either gone
into social or transitional housing or into private healthing. There
are some people that we don't have data for because
there there's no obligation for people to tell us where
they are going. But the one thing we do know
they go into place warm, dry, secure homes.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
So you've also got some tough new rules coming in
which will include tougher eligibility and also a standdown week
for stand down for thirteen weeks if somebody breaks the rules.
To Mutter pH the MARI Housing advocacy group, Basically they've said,
please explain. They think that this is a threatened threatening
to deepen the housing crisis for vulnerable populations. What do
(03:31):
you say, Well, I.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Think it's very reasonable for as as the government to
establish some transparency and some certainty around the responsibilities that
go with staying in emergency housing. Potentially have been funded
by taxpayers and of the government who stay in emergency
housing that are social housing. And for whilst it's important
(03:54):
for us who support and staff are those people with
genuine needs, it's also important for us to allow out
the expectations of responsibilities that those people have to ensure
that that doing their best to find or to see
where they can secure us more stable housing. And we
will provide that type of wraparound support through housing brokers
(04:17):
and through some programs to enable those people to be
in that space. And you know, whilst I know that
there will be some people that are genuinely concerned that
will deepen the housing crisis, I think there is a
little bit of resprosibution that's mpoined in that.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
I guess the question is, because when you're dealing with
emergency housing, we're sort of last resort. How black and
white are you going to be following those rules or
is there is there something in just saying, look, we're
introducing these panetles penalties as a signal on what we
expect people to how that we expect people to behave
with their own obligations.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Well, I think we know what the characteristics of Fino
and somebody Ki and others and emergency housing happen to
be and suddenly rather than us in the seminology around penalty,
we're sort des privator responsible the step by step sequencing
of making sure that the government can do it very
big to support people to migrate to a space that
(05:13):
can't take on private healthing or move into spatial healthing.
So again I don't think it's in a space where
you do something wrong straight away there's a penalty, but
certainly it is a gradation, and then it's a warning
system that takes place importantly for us making sure that
those people that are in genuine need for thoughts and states,
(05:34):
and there are many people in that space are supported
but are also supported to go out. And what might
know is that average day and emergency housing was about
half a year. That's a long time at two thousand
dollars a week.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Yeah, so that drop of thirty two six months is
pretty dramatic. Can we expect a slightly slower progress on that,
I guess from now on or what's your prediction?
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Well, yeah, I think it's blue shed. I think it's
filly days. I don't think that maintaining that because as
pmitive or a certainty, and it may bounce around a
little bit. What we're trying to do is make sure
that instead of a million dollars a day possible emergency housing,
we can reduce it considerably. And where it started when
(06:19):
we arrived, there was a million dollars a day, and
now it's come down to around half a million a day,
half a million a day less as a result of
the changes so far.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
And are you confident you've got the support of communities
and within the housing advocacy groups and other community groups
on this stuff.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
Yeah. I think my observation is that in a community,
housing providers and community groups are absolutely focused on supporting
those in genuine need. And that's the same alignment of
objectives that we have as a government. Importantly, with some
undertaking some steps recently to encourage more housing provision by
community housing providers, you would record a fifteen hundred places
(06:58):
that we're going to support their books by community housing
providers to enable those that are on the social housing
They just felt an emergency to migrate from from that
to extra stage to secure warm home. We've also got
the changes for the regulatory frameworks that we believe will
encourage landlords and senates to take up more private accommodations.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Yeah, I think.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
I don't think. I'd say is that we don't think
we have all the answers, and we know that we don't.
So there are some innovations or some different ideas that
we've got around maybe incentivizing prant landlords or social outcomes
contracting that we think need a bit more work, but
we would like to investigate there and maybe come back
to you later on in the year. Different ways to
(07:39):
activate community EWI and other providers to wrap around and
get people out of emergency.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Yeah, good stuff. Hey, just one last question. Olympics is over.
What's been your highlight? Well it's just about over, not
quite over, but we've got maybe some more golds to come,
but so far.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Look, I've absolutely been inspired, as we all are over
four years by the Olympics, but particularly by our highting
etpor our superwoman have won many metal across the disciplines.
I think it really is hypament, not ancident, but also
the men who are just participating, but also their paro
for years. Maybe decades for some people have supported them
(08:16):
to get to that clinical of supporting achievements. So I
want to shout out not only to their athletes but
to they're paro and coaches.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Yeah good on you, No fantastic, Thanks for your time
and staff. Noone really appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Thanks.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
I'm Kaki down Yeah bye bye. That is tam of Portaka,
the Associate Minister for Housing.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
For more from the Weekend Collective, listen live to News
Talk ZEDB weekends from three pm, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Weekend collective podcast from News talks'd be.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
But where have they gone? What's happened and how what's
what's the way forward on improving these numbers even further?
And the Associate Housing Minister, Look, he's minister for lots
of things, but he's here in his capacity as Minister
Associate Minister for Housing. Timer Portucker joins me today, thanks.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Job someone thanks for having me on the show.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Yeah, thanks for joining us. Really appreciate your time. Hey,
look my first reaction thirty two percent in just six months.
Where have they gone? Have you just turfed them out
or something?
Speaker 3 (00:36):
No? No, Look, I think we're really focused on making
sure we get emergency housing and holding generally back on
strap and as a result, we've had a pretty deliberate
hand to ensure that those people going into emergency housing
have got a genuine need for a short term state.
Those that are in house emergency and I'm not supported
to get out, and of course the supply issues and
(00:57):
there has been a little bit more like come on drink.
So it's a plan is really focused and we really
want to make come at a gig of funer and
emergency housing come out as well.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
So basically have those thirty two percent just moved on
to a more permanent and more acceptable form of housing.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Yes, basically that is a Storians have gone through social
housing with buying order, community housing providers or transitional housing,
and about thirty percent have gone into private housing. Essentially
of a surprise to many people, that are a lot
of people that moved out or migrate out of emergency
of the private market.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
So how do we get it so wrong in the
last few years.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Well, I think well, it has been a social, physical,
and moral catastrophe and I think most of us are
aware of that, especially in places like Hamilton and Hamilton
West around the MP and drawn a couple of other
places where you know there's been a real instancification of BARNO,
particularly single mums and single fits and households have moved
(02:06):
into emergency and will let it supplide. So we're really
focused on making sure that the people are supported are
supported where they have genuine need to be an emergency
for a short spent stay, but we don't want it
to continue as a catastrophe or claimasy. Is what we've
seen in the last fule of years. We've got a
(02:26):
target that's to reduce it by seventy percent by twenty
thirty and blue suits we're down thirty two percent in
the last eight months.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
So what assurances are those There'll be people who are
suspicious of these headlines. What assurances can you provide that
these families haven't been shifted into other precarious housing situations.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Well, that's certainly not the basic space that we're seeing
these FINO movements, who most as I've said, either gone
into social or transitional housing or into private healthing. There
are some people that we don't have data for because
there there's no obligation for people to tell us where
they are going. But the one thing we do know
they go into place warm, dry, secure homes.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
So you've also got some tough new rules coming in
which will include tougher eligibility and also a standdown week
for stand down for thirteen weeks if somebody breaks the rules.
To Mutter pH the MARI Housing advocacy group, Basically they've said,
please explain. They think that this is a threatened threatening
to deepen the housing crisis for vulnerable populations. What do
(03:31):
you say, Well, I.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Think it's very reasonable for as as the government to
establish some transparency and some certainty around the responsibilities that
go with staying in emergency housing. Potentially have been funded
by taxpayers and of the government who stay in emergency
housing that are social housing. And for whilst it's important
(03:54):
for us who support and staff are those people with
genuine needs, it's also important for us to allow out
the expectations of responsibilities that those people have to ensure
that that doing their best to find or to see
where they can secure us more stable housing. And we
will provide that type of wraparound support through housing brokers
(04:17):
and through some programs to enable those people to be
in that space. And you know, whilst I know that
there will be some people that are genuinely concerned that
will deepen the housing crisis, I think there is a
little bit of resprosibution that's mpoined in that.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
I guess the question is, because when you're dealing with
emergency housing, we're sort of last resort. How black and
white are you going to be following those rules or
is there is there something in just saying, look, we're
introducing these panetles penalties as a signal on what we
expect people to how that we expect people to behave
with their own obligations.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Well, I think we know what the characteristics of Fino
and somebody Ki and others and emergency housing happen to
be and suddenly rather than us in the seminology around penalty,
we're sort des privator responsible the step by step sequencing
of making sure that the government can do it very
big to support people to migrate to a space that
(05:13):
can't take on private healthing or move into spatial healthing.
So again I don't think it's in a space where
you do something wrong straight away there's a penalty, but
certainly it is a gradation, and then it's a warning
system that takes place importantly for us making sure that
those people that are in genuine need for thoughts and states,
(05:34):
and there are many people in that space are supported
but are also supported to go out. And what might
know is that average day and emergency housing was about
half a year. That's a long time at two thousand
dollars a week.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Yeah, so that drop of thirty two six months is
pretty dramatic. Can we expect a slightly slower progress on that,
I guess from now on or what's your prediction?
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Well, yeah, I think it's blue shed. I think it's
filly days. I don't think that maintaining that because as
pmitive or a certainty, and it may bounce around a
little bit. What we're trying to do is make sure
that instead of a million dollars a day possible emergency housing,
we can reduce it considerably. And where it started when
(06:19):
we arrived, there was a million dollars a day, and
now it's come down to around half a million a day,
half a million a day less as a result of
the changes so far.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
And are you confident you've got the support of communities
and within the housing advocacy groups and other community groups
on this stuff.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
Yeah. I think my observation is that in a community,
housing providers and community groups are absolutely focused on supporting
those in genuine need. And that's the same alignment of
objectives that we have as a government. Importantly, with some
undertaking some steps recently to encourage more housing provision by
community housing providers, you would record a fifteen hundred places
(06:58):
that we're going to support their books by community housing
providers to enable those that are on the social housing
They just felt an emergency to migrate from from that
to extra stage to secure warm home. We've also got
the changes for the regulatory frameworks that we believe will
encourage landlords and senates to take up more private accommodations.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Yeah, I think.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
I don't think. I'd say is that we don't think
we have all the answers, and we know that we don't.
So there are some innovations or some different ideas that
we've got around maybe incentivizing prant landlords or social outcomes
contracting that we think need a bit more work, but
we would like to investigate there and maybe come back
to you later on in the year. Different ways to
(07:39):
activate community EWI and other providers to wrap around and
get people out of emergency.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Yeah, good stuff. Hey, just one last question. Olympics is over.
What's been your highlight? Well it's just about over, not
quite over, but we've got maybe some more golds to come,
but so far.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Look, I've absolutely been inspired, as we all are over
four years by the Olympics, but particularly by our highting
etpor our superwoman have won many metal across the disciplines.
I think it really is hypament, not ancident, but also
the men who are just participating, but also their paro
for years. Maybe decades for some people have supported them
(08:16):
to get to that clinical of supporting achievements. So I
want to shout out not only to their athletes but
to they're paro and coaches.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Yeah good on you, No fantastic, Thanks for your time
and staff. Noone really appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Thanks.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
I'm Kaki down Yeah bye bye. That is tam of Portaka,
the Associate Minister for Housing.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
For more from the Weekend Collective, listen live to News
Talk ZEDB weekends from three pm, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio
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