Auckland homeless count numbers in: About 3000 without permanent housing

Brian from New Lynn

Auckland's mayor says about 800 people were sleeping rough in Auckland last month and living a "miserable existence" which no one should experience. Along with 800 people currently living in Auckland without shelter, there are another 2874 people including 1299 children in temporary and emergency accommodation, according to initial figures released from the Ira Mata, Iri Tangata: Auckland's Homeless Council by Auckland mayor Phil Goff today. Goff said the latest data collected volunteers walking the streets of Auckland who counted 179 people sleeping rough and 157 sleeping in cars would be used to inform policy and services to solve the pressing issue. A validation exercise showed that this represented just 40 per cent of people living without shelter.
"I took part in the count and walked the streets of Mangere in the middle of the night. I brought home to me the miserable existence for many people who sleep rough in our region." Auckland council had been supporting the Housing First initiative aimed at providing homeless people secure, affordable and healthy homes and said the number of people sleeping on the streets could have been much higher without the service. The service has been running for 15 months and has housed 582 adults."Our whole community has a role in ending homelessness. We are working closely with government, NGOs and community organisations and results from the Homeless Count will inform a sector wide strategy to end homelessness in Auckland," Goff said. Housing First programme manager Fiona Hamilton said the latest figures showed there was a significant need for permanent, stable homes for these adults and families. The data collected did not include people living in overcrowded homes, couch-surfing or living in camping grounds or boarding houses. "Ultimately this count was about people, gathering this information to assign better support and helping our communities take another step forward in ending homelessness in Auckland so that it is rare, brief and non-recurring."
=========================================================