Paul Barber: Salvation Army Senior Policy Analyst on why homelessness is at it's highest level in years

A housing spokesperson warns homelessness is the worst it's been in several years. 

The Government is seeking urgent advice as communities report rises in rough sleeping across the nation. 

Auckland outreach providers alone reported a 90 percent spike in homelessness. 

Salvation Army Senior Policy Analyst Paul Barber says it could come from issues with both resourcing and delivery. 

He suggests a solution could be re-investing the hundreds-of-millions of dollars taken out of emergency housing support. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Possible to move from the government to around homelessness. The
government seeking urgent advice after these reports showing a sharp rise.
Tougher criteria was introduced last year. It requires applicants to
prove they hadn't contributed to their own housing need. Paul
Barber's senior policy and analysts with the Sellies as well
as Paul Morning.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
Thank you good money.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
Have you got a feel for how many people are
choosing this lifestyle as opposed to being forced into it?

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Well, I think it's not a lifestyle choice. So almost
all the people are on the street, and certainly for
the people you know the rapid rise as seen in
numbers recently, it's definitely more about things that are happening
to them for them that have led to them being homeless.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
Well, so when you say that Mark Mitchell, Antonia Taps
or the mirror of Roda Rua say exactly the opposite,
for some that it is a choice. So who do
I believe.

Speaker 2 (00:51):
Well, I would ask you to think about at the
moment the situation of people who are living sleeping, they're
living in cars, they're living in really unstable situations. And
for most people it's not about a choice. It's about
being forced, for instance, losing their housing, being in a
situation for instance, you've maybe been come out of prison

(01:13):
or ourn mental health service and there just hasn't been
anywhere to go to. That's the kind of situation people
are in.

Speaker 1 (01:18):
Chris Bosham Barby argued over the weekend, this one this
is just decades long issue, or at least years long issue.
To there're spending plenty of money. It's not a money thing,
it's a delivery thing. Is he right?

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Well, certainly homelessness has been an issue for many years,
but at the moment it's we're in a real urgent
situation where it's the worst it's been for years, and
we really need to covergent action. Whether the resource in
question would be a good one that actually have an
opportunity to discuss with the minister. We certainly failed to

(01:50):
get to deal with a situation. Some of the hundreds
of millions as well as they have been taken out
of emergency housing support needs to be reinvested into programs
and wrap around services that actually do support people into sustaining.

Speaker 1 (02:03):
Part of the problem. See the emergency motel thing was
a disaster and it was predicated. I think on the
idea that it was temporary when the problems that many
of these people have are not temporary. So, in other words,
do you either hook into these people and look after
them forever or you don't. Is that fair or not?

Speaker 2 (02:20):
Well, it's you. Certainly people need supports. People don't need
support forever. There are a few people who may need
quite a long term support. A lot of people. If
you can get get people into good house, sort out
some of the financial issues around support, income support, help
them with health and possibly with addiction issues, with other

(02:40):
issues that might be going on, they can be fine
and they can move on and on with their lives.
The programs that work with people at the moment coming
out of street homelessness, you know they're effective, but it's more.
It's about more than a home it's about providing those
other supports around people as well.

Speaker 1 (02:59):
Ok good On. Paul Barber, senior policy analyst at the
Salvation Army. For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen
live to news Talks at b from six am weekdays,
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