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