Friday 5 September 2025
Media release: Auckland City Mission – Te Tāpui Atawhai welcomes expanded support for rough sleepers, but scale of need still not met
Everyone deserves a safe home. Auckland City Mission welcomes the Government’s ongoing commitment to addressing homelessness. Today’s announcement of five immediate actions to expand support for rough sleepers is good news. We will always back genuine action that responds to the needs of those who are rough sleeping.
We particularly affirm the creation of 300 additional Housing First places. For those 300 people, this represents a life-changing difference and a vital investment towards ending rough sleeping.
At the same time, the announcement does not meet the level of need. In Auckland alone, more than 800 people are sleeping rough – a 90% increase since September 2024 [1]. Nationally, there are 985 people on the Housing First waitlist, 37.8% of whom have been homeless for three or more years [2]. Importantly, not everyone rough sleeping qualifies for Housing First. Eligibility requires at least a year of continuous homelessness, meaning those new to the streets don’t qualify for this support.
We know that the number of those experiencing homelessness has increased as a direct result of tightened emergency housing eligibility criteria introduced in September 2024. At that time, Minister Potaka called for a 75% reduction in emergency housing numbers. Since then, MSD rejections citing that people had “contributed to their own homelessness” have risen 386% [3]. The consequence has been a sharp increase in homelessness.
We are deeply disappointed that today’s announcement leaves these tightened eligibility criteria unchanged. Until the policy settings are changed the number of people sleeping rough will continue to rise. We again call for Ministers Bishop, Potaka, and Upston to make significant policy change to the eligibility criteria for emergency housing so it genuinely responds to the need. We call for the instructions provided to MSD staff on how to apply this policy to be made publicly available immediately.
Efforts to improve transitional housing efficiency and the announcement of $10m for support are also welcome. The Government has signalled a focus on reducing turnaround times and optimising places with providers willing to work with rough sleepers which are both positive steps. However, the underlying problem remains the same – there is not enough appropriate supply. Providers need to be resourced adequately to safely provide shelter and support for those with medium to high needs.
Auckland City Mission affirms the Government’s commitment to ending homelessness and acknowledges the depth of need across the country. Ministers have the power to choose greater investment that means more homes and fewer people rough sleeping. The reality is that significant additional investment and ongoing policy reform will be required to achieve our shared goal of ensuring every New Zealander has a safe and affordable home.
We will continue to back any genuine action towards this goal. We look forward to continuing to work with Ministers and partners on next steps, and we acknowledge and thank them for the progress made today.
ENDS
For any media enquiries, please contact:
Ellen Lear
Communications Manager
0277001779
NOTES
- At the time of the 2023 Census, 112,496 people were estimated to be severely housing deprived.
- Of those people severely housing deprived, 4,965 were estimated to be living without any shelter.
- The Homelessness Insights Report, released in June 2025, says the Census estimate of 4,965 is the most robust estimate we have. However, the report notes that the data and observations it collated from around the country all indicate this has since increased.
- This is affirmed by data released in July 2025 by The Salvation Army which now puts the number of those sleeping without shelter closer to 1 in every 1,000 New Zealanders.