'Almost a trap' - Advocates say near impossible to get into emergency housing as homelessness increases

Housing advocates and those supporting homeless youth say it's now near impossible to get into emergency housing, and there are concerns homelessness has increased as a result of the government tightening the "gateway".

A social service provider in Auckland said they'd heard from a couple who were sleeping in a hospital waiting room at night "so they had a roof over their heads".

Data from a provider in Wellington shows the number of people sleeping rough at the end of last year had increased by a third compared to the end of 2023.

Some advocates say navigating the system is like "smashing your head against a brick wall", and the way it is designed, "it's almost a trap".

Background

In January this year, the coalition celebrated reaching its target of reducing the number of households in emergency housing motels by 75 percent five years early.

The announcement from the minister in charge of emergency housing, Tama Potaka, said this was achieved by bumping families with children who've been in emergency housing for 12 weeks or more to the top of the social housing waitlist, more social housing and working to get people in emergency housing into stable housing.

Last year, the government also tightened the "gateway" for those trying to access emergency housing. Social Development Minister Louise Upston explained in March what that would look like.

Ministry of Social Development staff would increase their scrutiny of whether anyone applying for emergency housing had "unreasonably contributed" to their own situation, whether they'd taken "reasonable efforts" to find other options, and whether they'd paid their emergency housing contribution in the past. The length of time a grant covered would also decrease, from 7-21 days to 1-4 days. Upston said this would allow for further scrutiny before a grant was approved for longer.

"Between now and August, we will be working to strengthen emergency housing verification processes, review eligibility settings, limit discretion and clarify an applicant's responsibilities while in emergency housing. These changes will help ensure that emergency housing is only accessed where absolutely necessary."

The Work and Income website states, "Emergency housing is short-term accommodation for people who need it because: they can't stay where they are, and they have nowhere else to go."

According to information obtained under the OIA, some reasons for declined applications (both before and after the tougher rules) include:

• Circumstances could have been reasonably foreseen
• Not a qualifying need
• Reasonable steps have not been taken to find alternative housing
• The required supporting evidence has not been provided
• You have caused or contributed to your immediate need

The tougher criteria also included changes for those staying longer than seven nights.

Potaka explained people would now need to complete "agreed activities", such as paying their emergency housing contribution (25 percent of their income), and activities that will help them get a home. That could be meeting with a housing broker, attending a Ready to Rent course, engaging with support services or looking for a private rental.

"If people don't meet their obligations without a good reason, they'll receive a warning," Potaka said. "After two warnings, if they don't meet their obligations again, they won't be able to get an Emergency Housing Grant for 13 weeks."

Increase in homelessness

The Downtown Community Ministry which works with homeless people in Wellington said it's seeing a change since the new rules were implemented.

One of its leaders, Natalia Cleland, said its data shows an increase in the number of people rough sleeping from the October-December period (2024) by about a third in comparison to the year before.

She feels there's been a change in the way MSD can use their discretion when it comes to emergency housing applications.

"We're definitely seeing people being declined, being told, no, there's not an option for you and people have either stopped asking or even wondering if that might be a solution for them."

Cleland gave an example of people coming from out of town potentially being declined because they "contributed to their homelessness". She said they'd previously been able to advocate for that person, but that's no longer the case.

"In the past, there had been more discretion around that, and that's the part that we think to see has changed."

Cleland also spoke about working with "highly complex people" who are used to being told no, and taking a "trauma-informed" approach, rather than setting people up to fail.

"If we know that that person is going to be declined because of them being from out of town or having done something to contribute to their homelessness, we actually don't want to even take them in the door to Work and Income, because we know that their experience isn't going to be helpful for them."

She questioned whether the data available accurately represented the need, because frontline staff had told her people aren't necessarily being declined but told there isn't anywhere suitable for them, or nothing was available.

"What my understanding is that people aren't necessarily being declined, but they're walking away without having emergency accommodation."

She acknowledged there's a range of reasons contributing to the issue, including reducing the number of properties available for emergency housing, but confirmed they'd seen an increase in people rough sleeping.

E Tipu E Rea Whānau Services in Auckland, which works with teen parents, has also seen people struggling to access emergency housing.

Mana Whakahaere for the social service Cindy Kawana said there seemed to be a "stop" to being able to get into transitional housing or emergency housing.

She called it the "unintended consequences" of getting the emergency housing numbers down - which is "promising", but said she'd argue "homeless numbers have increased considerably."

Kawana said there are people who stay in "unhealthy relationships" because they can't get out of them. There are also those that have nowhere to go, she said, for example - a young couple who were using a hospital as a night shelter.

"So them and their baby were sleeping in the emergency waiting room at night, so they had a roof over their head and it was safe and warm, and were in the park during the day, and they couldn't even get onto the housing register."

She said they should have "absolutely" met the "genuine need" criteria.

Kawana spoke about a family who had already been to MSD seeking support, but required further advocacy from two organisations before they were granted emergency housing, "they're the lucky ones." She said it shouldn't require two organisations stepping in.

"We have people sleeping in cars, in hospital rooms and really unsafe places," said Kawana, "they've been to MSD, they've done the work that they need to but MSD are rejecting them."

Kawana was one of a number of providers who put these issues to Minister Potaka in December last year, at the Community Housing Aotearoa conference. She told Potaka she'd seen teen parents sleeping in cars with their babies or hapū.

Tūranganui a Kiwa Housing on the East Coast told Potaka MSD wasn't "being accountable to families that actually need it".

Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust in Christchurch told Potaka it had seen "an increase of people who actually cannot get into emergency housing".

'Smashing your head against a brick wall'

Samara works as a youth development worker at The Front Door, a 24-hour crisis response and early intervention space on K Road in Auckland for young people experiencing homelessness.

"It's one of the only places that young people can just turn up to when shit hits the fan and they no longer have anywhere to live or things have suddenly become really unsafe."

Those working at the Front Door also support young people navigating the Ministry of Social Development system, which Samara said is near impossible.

"It's like smashing your head against a brick wall that has nails coming out of it, and you just do it over and over again."

She explained the process her and her colleagues can go through when helping a young person find an urgent roof for the night.

First, they exhaust their networks with other social service providers to see if there is accommodation available - that has to be explored in order for the Ministry of Social Development to pay them any attention, Samara said.

Once they do get to MSD they might be told there are no appointments, "so I stay there and refuse to leave until we see them."

If they can secure an appointment, Samara said they can be taken to a table and "before anyone's even spoken to, we'll be told there's no emergency housing".

She'll request the opportunity to speak, and have the young person to explain their situation, before they still might be told there's nothing available.

"We could say this young person's life is in danger, we could say they're escaping abuse, we could say we've got police reports - we're there as a professional capacity, we're not there lying to them."

Samara said this process could take hours, or a whole day.

"A lot of the time that happens, we do have to leave with them having no options, and they go back out on the streets, or they go back to a really really unsafe and dangerous situation."

Samara said they're supporting 11 and 12 year olds who sometimes have nowhere to go. She explained for some of the kids they work with, they've had a lifetime of hardship, surrounded by violence, drugs or alcohol.

"It's very normal for them, and they require and they actually deserve, so much patience. They need years of patience and care."

She said sometimes they just need a Milo.

"We can't ever forget that they are children and that the whole community and the whole society is responsible for all of them."

In and out of a 'home'

Aaron Hendry - who opened the Front Door last July - said the space is about creating a sense of belonging for those young people forced to brave the streets alone. He also said things are getting worse.

"We're seeing increasing desperation in young people, a hopelessness, that actually there is no support there and if they reach out they're going to be denied."

Hendry said the way the system is designed is "almost a trap".

"So if you get access to some support but you can't sustain the shelter because of your mental health or your addiction, then you're either asked to move on or you're evicted - then there's very few options available to you."

One 17 year old Hendry has been working with, Jamie*, was in and out of emergency or transitional housing over the past year after being kicked out of home when he was 16.

In between, he's had to sleep rough or couch surf with friends.

"I was sleeping on the floor a lot of the time, he said.

"Sometimes I wouldn't be allowed at night, so I'd have to just stay out all night and then the next morning I could go to one of my mates, sleep there, and repeat."

Jamie said it was "worrying" and "stressful."

"You don't know where you're going to go, you don't know where you're going to eat, when you're going to eat, or where you're going to sleep."

He'd wait at bus stops at night, which he said was "scary".

Some days Jamie would spend his time bussing to the airport to charge his phone.

Hendry pointed out there are less options available for young people, and often, certain accommodation isn't suitable. MSD acknowledged this too, saying emergency housing is not ideal for vulnerable clients including youth, and where possible MSD refers youth clients to available Transitional Housing placements.

Jamie's experience of emergency housing was varied, with one location he was placed in having with mouldy curtains and a broken stove. He also spoke of being "super lucky" when he received a call while his phone was on 2 percent, offering him a place in transitional housing.

"If my phone was dead, then they would have probably just given it to someone else."

He claimed the risk of not picking up was being deemed as having "denied" the offer.

"So you're off the Housing Register, back at the end of the list, and gotta register again and all that stuff."

At one point, Jamie had secured emergency housing in October but was removed because he'd supported friends who were also experiencing homelessness by allowing them in for the night. He then had to couch surf/ sleep rough again.

MSD said they're aware some young people are resistant to staying with transitional housing providers due to the rules of stay, which some consider restrictive.

Between November and February, he was given a place in Youth Transitional Housing but it was a rehab/ abstinence focused programme. MSD explained transitional housing can require clients to "engage with wraparound support services funded by MSD".

Jamie has a medicinal cannabis prescription for ADHD and chronic pain. Eventually, neither Jamie nor those running the programme found the accommodation a suitable option for him, so he moved on.

MSD explained if someone declines an offer of Transitional Housing, its staff have "discretion to consider whether that person has, as a result, contributed to their own homelessness".

Between February and March, Jamie was couch surfing again until Hendry was able to secure him a place in a lodge.

Jamie told RNZ his ideal living situation would be a "home".

"It doesn't have to be really big or nothing, just enough space to live for people."

The numbers - released by MSD under the OIA

The coalition tightened access to emergency housing at the end of August last year. Below is the number of applications processed for Emergency Housing between January and December 2024.

Total applications:

• January - 7050
• February - 7134
• March - 7071
• April - 6687
• May - 6843
• June - 4887
• July - 4848
• August - 3972
• September - 3690
• October - 3030
• November - 2274
• December - 1833

Declines:

• January - 291
• February - 273
• March - 264
• April - 258
• May - 336
• June - 234
• July - 270
• August - 402
• September - 426
• October - 423
• November - 366
• December - 408

Number of emergency housing grants (accepted applications):

• January - 6762
• February - 6858
• March - 6804
• April - 6429
• May - 6510
• June - 4653
• July - 4578
• August - 3570
• September - 3264
• October - 2604
• November - 1908
• December - 1428

Political reaction

Labour's housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said the numbers don't paint the full picture because of the concerns outlined by those on the frontline.

He said homelessness is up as a direct result of the government's policy on emergency housing.

"They are celebrating a significant drop in the numbers, but they are not telling New Zealanders the truth. This isn't a success story. These numbers are manipulated.

"They've dropped the numbers because they are actively keeping people out of emergency housing."

McAnulty said people in genuine need are either having their application denied or aren't being given the opportunity to apply, or "people are getting wind that applications are being declined so they're not even bothering."

"And all that equates to people living on the street or in a tent or in their car or in a garage, the exact situation that was happening that gave rise to emergency housing in the first place."

McAnulty echoed most providers, acknowledging emergency housing isn't the answer, but he said "when you take that away where are they going to go? They're going to be on the street."

"No one chooses to go into emergency housing for the fun of it," said McAnulty, "they do this because they're desperate".

"If the need is there, it should be met. These guys are manufacturing the numbers to make it look like the need isn't there. All the while the numbers of homelessness increases."

Potaka said it's his expectation those with a "genuine need for short term accommodation, for a temporary period of time, in most cities and towns in New Zealand have that available".

In response to the concerns of frontline providers, Potaka said "that's not the feedback I'm getting from my officials".

He said there's a variety of feedback amongst people involved in community groups and agencies who work in this space, and he takes some advice from them, as well as continues to engage with them to get intel on a regular basis.

"I'm confident that we are in regular discussions with people who have on the ground, real, practical insights as to what's going on."

"I can't follow up every single note that's made by the list member from Wairarapa, Kieran McAnulty and others that point to specific examples."

He said he's focused on making sure the systems are in place, and pointed to other pathways for secure housing like Housing First and Rapid Rehousing.

"There are a number of pathways for people with homelessness to engage with housing provision that's not just emergency."

The Group GM Housing at MSD, Karen Hocking, said emergency housing is still available for people who meet the criteria and have nowhere else to go.

She noted it's a "last resort".

"If someone who applies is eligible for a different and more suitable type of support, we will provide that instead."

Hocking pointed out, according to the OIA response, "the vast majority of people (around 85 percent) who apply for emergency housing receive some form of housing support."

"When a person comes to us with a housing need they are asked a series of questions regarding their circumstances to establish their eligibility for emergency housing. Each person is assessed on a case-by-case basis."

Hocking said every person's situation is different, and "we know there can often be a complex set of circumstances that led to someone being in this position".

"We're happy to explain a decision we made, if we have the permission of the person involved to respond to you, via a privacy waiver."

If an application has been declined, and "they disagree with our decision, they can request a review of our decision".

*Jamie not their real name.