Cross-party Homelessness Inquiry

Three local Napier women have combined to make a joint submission to the Cross-party Homeless inquiry that the Labour, Greens and Maori parties have launched. Limitless Hope representative Kiri Swannell, Tu Tangata Maraenui chair Minnie Ratima, and Napier City Councillor Maxine Boag have responded to the call for stories and suggestions from homeless people and their advocates to “tell it like it is” in their areas.

“The homeless situation in Napier is dire,” said Kiri. “We’re not talking about the rough sleepers so much as the Mummies and babies who are couch surfing, the lonely and isolated older people who are in temporary accommodation, the prisoners released with nowhere to go. People are suffering deeply, mentally, emotionally spiritually and physically because they can’t find anywhere to live. It is affecting children who are missing school or having behaviour problems at school. Family violence, poor health, they are experiencing it all,” Kiri said.

“Living in cars or whole families crammed into one room, is this what we want for our children?” Kiri said.

“They come from all walks of life, even well off Pakeha people who have lost everything because of illness or an accident, ” said Kiri. “The only thing they all have in common is that they are desperate to find an affordable safe place to rent or stay.”

Kiri talks about a young mother who, when she left hospital with her newborn, had to couch surf as there were no houses for her.

Minnie knows of families living in garages, being charge $100 or $150 a week to live in an unheated shed with no toilet. “Alcohol and drug abuse, family violence, depression, physical and mental illness – all are made worse when you’re struggling to find a place to call home,” she said.

Maxine says a lot of this has to do with changes in government social housing policies six years ago, and the removal of 120 state houses from Napier because they were unfit or earthquake prone. “People are in this dire situation through no fault of their own,” she said. Hundreds of children in Napier were living in poverty, Maxine said, and inadequate housing was linked to that.

“Dr Russell Wills, paediatrician and former Children’s Commissioner, has talked about the effect of poverty including poor housing on youngsters,” Maxine said. “He said it affects us all because these children grow up with poor long-term health, education, social and employment outcomes.”

All three are very worried about the deepening crisis in homelessness, or “housing deprivation” in Napier and are hoping that Central government will acknowledge the seriousness of the situation and develop a national strategy to reduce homelessness across the country.

ends

© Scoop Media