Motel housing ‘led to more crime’
Housing homeless people in Rotorua’s motels did lead to a rise in crime and anti-social behaviour, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has finally admitted.
The admission was contained in a 39-page report entitled ‘‘An evaluation of whā nau experiences of living in contracted emergency housing in Rotorua’’, a revelation welcomed by those who raised alarms bells about the practice.
In the report MHUD said the increased use of non-contracted housing ‘‘led to a number of unintended consequences’’.
‘‘Including an increase in crime and disruptive and intimidating behaviour in and around Fenton St, which the public directly attributed to the increase in emergency housing accommodation.’’
Rotorua National MP Todd McClay said that admission was ‘‘the first time they have accepted crime as a result of this’’. McClay also said he believed the risk of a rise in crime, described in a letter from former mayor Steve Chadwick to Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel Sepuloni as creating ‘‘drug use, violent behaviour, vandalism and other anti-social behaviours that they are seeing on a daily basis’’, was known at Cabinet level.
‘‘The original advice to Cabinet said there could be a consequence,’’ McClay said.
‘‘They didn’t do anything to help our police with this.’’
McClay said the people of Rotorua were owed an apology from the Government in the wake of the MHUD admission and also called for a definite date for the end of motel use for homeless people.
He said it was ‘‘deeply concerning women with kids have been in these motels for more than a year’’ but also conceded that for many ‘‘people in a disastrous situation, this [motel living] has been an improvement’’.
Rotorua mayor Tania Tapsell also said she believed this was the first official recognition of the link between MSD motels and anti-social behaviour in Rotorua.
The chairperson of lobby group Restore Rotorua, Trevor Newbrook, said he was pleased to finally see ‘‘an admission that the substantial increase in crime in Rotorua is directly related to the huge increase in emergency housing in Rotorua’’
‘‘It has been frustrating that even after the release of police crime maps, showing a large increase in crime around emergency housing properties, it was still described by the Government and officials as a perception,’’ he said.
‘‘Restore Rotorua has always maintained that motels are not suitable as long-term accommodation and has been concerned about the effect it is having on individuals and families.
‘‘Especially with so many people being clustered together in such a concentrated area.’’
However, the positives were the main thrust of the MHUD report, which found motels provided homeless whā nau with a safe, secure and empowering environment.
MHUD did also admit, however, that motel living is ‘‘not suited to all whā nau and not a long-term living option’’.
The report heard from 91
‘‘Restore Rotorua has always maintained that motels are not suitable as long-term accommodation . . .’’ Trevor Newbrook
Restore Rotorua whā nau representing 115 adults and 154 children, plus 35 stakeholders and noted that in 2018, a total of 101,123 people were identified as ‘‘seriously housing deprived’’.
That amounted to 2 per cent of the population. The report also noted that between June 2019 and December 2020, demand for emergency housing special needs grants soared by 67 per cent in Rotorua.
Thirteen motels were contracted for use, and between July 2021 and January 2022, they housed 482 whā nau.
The study found most found themselves in emergency accommodation due to relationship breakdowns, family harm, drug and alcohol issues, and tenancy issues.