Source: Auckland Council
Auckland Council’s Community Committee is urging the Government to consider how nationwide targets for emergency housing are impacting on homelessness in Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau.
Committee Chair, Councillor Angela Dalton, says the council has a duty of care to stand up for Aucklanders who don’t currently have a voice.
“This is our city; these are our people, and we have a responsibility towards them. We simply cannot, and will not, turn our back against our most vulnerable citizens,” Cr Dalton says.
On Wednesday 11 February, the committee received a concerning update from the council’s Community Impact team, which coordinates a regionwide response to support the city’s most vulnerable people.
The number of people known to be sleeping in cars, streets and local parks has risen by 53 per cent in the past four months – from 426 in September 2024 to 653 in January this year. In addition, there is an unknown number of homeless people who are transient and mobile.
That increase comes as Government data shows the number of people on Auckland’s emergency housing list has plummeted from 885 in 2023 to 39 at the end of December 2024, in line with new targets.
However, the council’s committee chair and deputy chair are asking for information on Aucklanders who have dropped off the list, which the Government has so far not provided.
Deputy Chair, Councillor Julie Fairey, says emergency support must be prioritised in Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest city, alongside a culture of caring.
“It is always important to help those who have been pushed out to the margins, to bring them in from the cold,” says Cr Fairey.
Auckland’s only after-hours emergency housing provider received 175 referrals in the last three months from police and other frontline agencies – for people suffering at the extreme end of hardship.
Councillor Dalton says staff have confirmed that many of these referrals will not be able to be accommodated in the future, due to a reduction in service funding.
“We know that social housing providers in Auckland are full – there is essentially no space to house people who have been denied access to emergency accommodation due to a tightening of the criteria,” she says.
Auckland’s only after-hours emergency accommodation is soon to be significantly reduced, which will further limit the options for people who are faced with sleeping rough, with no shelter.
“This means the council and a network of outreach providers will have to manage more acute homelessness on the streets,” Cr Dalton adds.
Meanwhile, the need for social support and housing continues to rise, with 6820 people on the social housing waitlist for Auckland in November 2024 (up from 3417 in 2018), and 2799 households in transitional housing (up from 901 in 2018).
The council has committed yearly funding of $500,000 in the Long-term Plan 2024-2034 for the next three years, to respond to homelessness.
However, Auckland’s homelessness sector hinges on central government funding through the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the Ministry of Social Development.
Read the Community Committee meeting minutes here.
In addition to the 653 people sleeping rough in January, there is an unknown number of transient homeless people in Auckland.
Auckland homelessness – with data from the social housing register
|
Areas |
April 2018 |
November 2024 |
|
Auckland households in emergency housing |
221, representing 23 per cent of the national figure |
60 (down from 885 Nov 2023) – representing 9 per cent of the national figure |
|
Individuals on the public housing wait list in Auckland |
3417 (48 per cent of whom are Māori), representing 42 per cent of the national figure |
6820 (47 per cent of whom are Māori) – representing 32 per cent of the national figure |
|
Auckland households in transitional housing |
901 – representing 42 per cent of the national figure. |
2799 – representing 44 per cent of the national figure |
|
New applicants in October to the social housing register |
Nil data |
1857 |
|
Applicants on the social housing register nationally |
8108 |
20,834 |
|
Applicants on the transfer register |
1819 |
4707 |