People’s Project a success

“We’ve done that by using the ‘Housing First’ approach, which is housing people first and then putting the support services around people that will assist them to deal with some of the issues that resulted in them coming onto the street in the first place.”

Julie Nelson says that her team is still working to find suitable homes for the two remaining rough sleepers.

The People’s Project was the first in New Zealand to adopt the Housing First model, an internationally proven model that recognised that it was easier for people to address issues once they were housed.

The team focused on quickly moving vulnerable people into housing and immediately giving them access to the services they needed, Ms Nelson said.

94 percent of those housed by The People’s Project were still in their homes a year or two down the track.

Three quarters of those helped by the project had found homes in the private rental sector.

The team had worked closely with real estate agents and local landlords who had taken a chance on people who might otherwise have been excluded from the private market.

The project was now being studied by Otago and Waikato Universities. But Ms Nelson said that the “transitionally homeless” – such as people living in cars – was an emerging issue for the city.

“We have seen dramatic changes in the housing market and as a consequence increased numbers of transitionally homeless families and individuals.”

The priority of the People’s Project now was to continue working with the small number of rough sleepers or chronic homeless who had emerged in the last two years, while preventing more individuals and families from joining them on the streets.The project is a collaboration between the council, police, government agencies, business and housing groups.

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Auckland Mayor taking a lead in addressing homelessness

Auckland Council will play a co-ordinating role, working with central government, NGOs, and the private sector to eliminate homelessness in the city, according to Phil Goff.

“When I walk up from Britomart, I walk past lots of people sleeping on the street,” says Mayor Phil Goff.

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“It’s not simply the perception that’s bad for the city — it’s the reality. Who in their right mind would be sleeping on the pavement if they had some alternative,” he says.

Goff’s policy to help the homeless will be based on the principle of Housing First — where priority is given to obtaining stable housing. Once accommodation is provided, wraparound services can be provided to address the issues that lead to homelessness.

Phill Goff visited the People’s Project in Hamilton recently to learn about the success of this project.