Initiative to help homeless off streets

Wrap-around social housing to help Christchurch’s homeless people stay permanently off the streets could be up and running by early next year.

The city’s community housing providers are negotiating with the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) for a Housing First initiative similar to that which launched in Auckland in March.

Christchurch Methodist Mission (CMM) executive director Jill Hawkey said she did not want to reveal too much before a ‘‘positive option’’ could be confirmed for the estimated 215 people currently sleeping rough on city streets.

But she said it was hoped a service to support long-term homeless people into permanent housing would be operational in early 2018.

‘‘[It] will then continue to support the person so that they are able to sustain their tenancy and address the issues that may have led to their homelessness.’’

The Auckland-based initiative was running on a two-year pilot and aimed to put 472 rough sleepers into permanent housing as soon as possible.

The model went against a traditional approach of addressing health and addiction issues before providing homeless people with housing.

The Government invested $16.5 million in this year’s Budget to expand Housing First into areas of high need across the country, including up to 100 places allocated to Christchurch.

Spreydon councillor Phil Clearwater said the model had worked well in Auckland with MSD funding and he hoped the same would apply in Christchurch. ‘‘There’s been very constructive, supportive discussion with the MSD and I think that all parties are very keen to make this work.’’

Clearwater had helped organise a number of meetings with the social agencies involved, including CMM, Comcare Trust and Emerge Aotearoa.

Each community housing provider involved had its own housing stock, but because this was at a ‘‘premium’’, Clearwater said MSD funding could be used to secure rental housing.

A report outlining ways the

‘‘. . . all parties are very keen to make this work.’’

Spreydon councillor Phil Clearwater

Christchurch City Council could support the initiative would be presented to its Social, Community Development and Housing Committee either next month or early next year, he said. This could include providing a base for the programme to be run from.

Tenants Protection Association manager Di Harwood said advocacy groups needed to look at why being on the street was ‘‘a more attractive option’’ for some.

‘‘I think to put wrap-around services into social housing and to bring these guys into social housing is still potentially not going to work, because on the streets they’re getting what they need.

‘‘They have their own community, nobody’s going to kick them out because of their behaviours and their addictions . . . It sounds bizarre, but even on the streets there’s a security in that.’’

Rough sleeper JB Wallace said the only way homelessness and begging in Christchurch would be halted was if the issues that initially led people to it were solved. ‘‘Give us something we can do to make it, to get ahead, to rectify it, to stop it.

‘‘There are a lot of issues that everyone has to understand [around] why we are out here.’’

Wallace said he was on a waiting list to see if he could be placed into a permanent home.

‘‘I am going around trying to find houses, but I can’t afford it . . . I can’t afford to get a private house; I can’t afford it on the benefit.’’

Collective for the Homeless coordinator Brenda Lowe-Johnson said most of the city’s homeless had mental-health issues. Many also struggled with addiction and she was seeing an increase in the use of synthetic cannabis, she said.

MSD housing deputy chief executive Scott Gallacher said the ministry was ‘‘working through the detail’’ of a proposal presented by the groups involved.

‘‘We are not able to offer any further comment at this time, but expect to be able to do so in the near future.’’