Emergency meeting held on youth homelessness in Auckland

Community groups throughout Auckland have gathered for an emergency meeting on youth homelessness.

Dozens of frontline service workers and recently homeless rangatahi spoke at the hui hosted by Mā Te Huruhuru and Manaaki Rangatahi at the Lifeskills campus in Māngere on Friday.

Although invitations were sent to all political parties, Green co-leader Marama Davidson was the only politician to attend.

RNZ has approached key representatives in the National Party for comment.

A representative for Minister for Social Development Louise Upston said she did not receive an invite directly.

"It is [disappointing]," Davidson said. "I actually wish Government politicians were here today to hear directly how their decisions are making things worse for young people and how their decisions are going against crime prevention, against violence prevention.

"Why are they not here? Why are their local MPs not here? Why are they not here seeing the beauty and the solutions that community organisations have to offer them? I thought they cared."

Manaaki Rangatahi lead Bianca Johanson said she was not satisfied with the coalition Government's interactions with community groups.

"Not at all, we have had one hui with Minister Tama Potaka and we did ask to brief him and update him about what's happening for rangatahi... We were really disappointed he wasn't able to follow through with that relationship," she said.

"We're in a crisis... So we've called everybody we know in the sector and brought in our rangatahi so that we can develop a strategy to give to the ministers and the Ministries [of Housing and Social Development]."

With New Zealand's resources, Davidson said there was no excuse for rampant homelessness.

"There has never been any excuse for anyone in this country to live with anything but dignity," she said.

"We have enough in Aotearoa to make sure everyone has a home, what we have instead is an economic system that keeps a few wealthy and keeps many, many, many more struggling."

Many speakers at the hui highlighted the stark difference between a "house" and a "home".

"Emergency housing, while it's required to respond to the issue of homelessness, it's not a sustainable and long-term solution to housing insecurity in Aotearoa," said Manaaki Rangatahi spokesperson Brooke Stanley.

She said homeless people, particularly young people, needed homes they could feel safe and secure in.

"Within Kainga Ora... They're evicting people, they're also looking at selling Kainga Ora housing and they're not committing to any new builds," she said.

"It doesn't offer any kind of affordable or long-term sustainable housing for communities who experience homelessness and poverty."

rnz.co.nz