The people’s project houses the homeless

The People’s Project has housed 127 people in just over a year and aims to end homelessness in the city by the end of 2016.

The project began last September and have housed 127 people including a key group of 40 to 50 who were living on the street with nowhere else to go.

People’s Project head Julie Nelson said their aim was to end homelessness – not to manage it.

“Managing homelessness is temporary arrangements, it’s shelters, it’s feeding people in public places, it’s the begging.

“It’s those things that actually manage homelessness – they do not end homelessness.”

Instead, the People’s Project took a housing first approach, she said.

“Working with people to get people into a house, and then seeing what they need, to actually be able to live well within that house.”

Read more here.

Hear the interview with Julie Nelson on Radio New Zealand on 26 November here.