Initial findings of Auckland’s homeless count released
Media release
EMBARGOED UNTIL 3PM, 09
October 2018
Initial findings of Auckland’s first region-wide Point in Time homeless count released
Initial findings from Ira Mata, Ira Tangata: Auckland’s Homeless Count – the first Point in Time, region-wide street count of unsheltered homelessness and people in temporary accommodation in Auckland – were released today by Mayor Phil Goff.
Funded by Auckland
Council and implemented by the Housing First Auckland
collective, it was the first time a street count of this
size and scale has been undertaken in New
Zealand.
Fiona Hamilton, programme manager for Housing
First Auckland, said the initiative was not a comprehensive
depiction of all homelessness in Auckland – rather it
provided a snapshot of the minimum number of people
experiencing unsheltered (sleeping on the street or in cars)
and temporary homelessness at one point in time.
“On 17 September, volunteers counted 336 people living without shelter. 179 people were sleeping rough and 157 were sleeping in cars. All these people were adults.
“Following a validation exercise of this
result we know that this number represents approximately 40
per cent of people living without shelter in Auckland on
that night.
“Therefore, based on the street count, it is estimated there were approximately 800 people in unsheltered homelessness on 17 September 2018,” Hamilton said.
One of the known limitations of Point in Time street counts is that they can under-represent the number of people in unsheltered homelessness, therefore validating the results was essential.
“This is because of a number of
complex factors including things like people not wanting to
be found and that safety protocols for volunteers mean they
are advised not to enter areas such as abandoned buildings,
for example. [Note to media: please see the attached
information for validation of Point in Time
counts.]
Under the guidance of Dr Nevil
Pierse, Otago University’s associate professor and
co-leader of He Kainga Oranga Healthy Housing Research
Programme, the validation exercise was carried out during
the 10 days following the count to estimate the proportion
of people counted on the night.
In addition to the street count, information was sourced from transitional housing and temporary accommodation providers, government-funded emergency accommodation (special needs grants), Corrections and mental health and addiction services, to provide a snapshot of the numbers of people in temporary accommodation across the region on the same night.
“Based on the
information provided by these services and organisations,
there were 2,874 people in temporary accommodation. Of
these, 1,299 were children. [Note to media: please see
the attached information for an infographic summary of the
initial results.]
Hamilton said it was important to combine this information with the street count because these are people who may have otherwise been experiencing unsheltered homelessness – eg sleeping in cars or sleeping rough.
Hamilton acknowledged the commitment and investment Government had made this winter for increasing support, which was reflected in the number of people, and children, in emergency and transitional accommodation.
“There is clearly significant need for permanent, stable homes for these adults and families.”
Information collected did not include
people living in over-crowded homes, couch-surfing or people
living in camping grounds or boarding houses. [Note to
media: please see the attached information for the list of
what was and was not included.]
“Ira Mata, Ira Tangata has given Auckland the opportunity to quantify the minimum size and scale of unsheltered and temporary homelessness. However, this was not an academic exercise. Ultimately this count was about people, gathering this information to assign better support and helping our communities take another step forward in ending homelessness in Auckland so that it is rare, brief and non-recurring.”
She said the information will be
used to inform policy, practice and resourcing at local and
central government, and service levels. And provide a
baseline to measure change over time, following any
initiatives and programmes that are put in
place.
“Our understanding is that one of the first
actions will be using this information to inform the
regional, cross-sectoral homeless plan for Auckland, which
Auckland Council is leading the development
of.”
More than 660 volunteers supported the count
alongside community organisations, including De Paul House,
Monte Cecilia Trust, Te Puea Marae, Lifewise, Auckland City
Mission, LinkPeople, VisionWest, Kāhui Tū Kaha, Strive and
St John Ambulance. Government support was provided by the
Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Housing and
Urban Development, Te Puni Kokiri, Corrections and the
city’s three district health boards.
“We simply would not have been able to do this count without the people who volunteered and the organisations who partnered with the project team, we are very grateful for the support we all received from the Auckland community.
“Our aim was
to carry out the first Auckland-wide Point in Time count
treating all people with dignity and respect and doing no
harm. We’re extremely proud that this was achieved without
any major incidents on the night.”
The initial
findings establish the minimum number of people living
without shelter and in temporary accommodation across the
region. A full report will be available later this
year.
-ENDS-