A new Auckland Council report links a drop in homelessness to 207 extra Housing First places last year. Photo / NZ Herald
A new Auckland Council report links a drop in homelessness to 207 extra Housing First places last year. Photo / NZ Herald
Community housing advocates say a decline in homelessness in Auckland shows current programmes are working and the Government should reconsider giving police new powers to move on rough sleepers.
A new report, which is being presented to an Auckland Council committee tomorrow, says there were 668 people living without shelterin the city at the end of January.
The report noted the count is based on data collected by organisations doing outreach in Auckland, may not include people not connected to those organisations, and is not “an absolute reflection of the full picture of homelessness”.
It attributed some of the decrease to government funding in October 2025 to improve outreach and the provision of 207 housing places in the Housing First programme, which it said has “had a positive impact”.
Housing First Auckland programme manager Rami Alrudaini says a reduction in homelessness is a testament to the effectiveness of proven solutions. Photo / Auckland Housing First
Auckland Housing First programme manager Rami Alrudaini said it was a testament to what can happen when the government backs and funds proven solutions
“With continued investment from the Government and working with the sector we can absolutely see the remaining 668 remaining people in permanent housing.
“We need multiple data points over successive quarters before we have a reliable indicator that homelessness rates are stabilising or decreasing.”
On Sunday, the Government announced it was giving police new powers to move on rough-sleepers, with penalties for those who breach move-on orders.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell told Newstalk ZB’s Kerre Woodham that, in his experience, most homeless people had “somewhere to go and sleep”.
“They are rough sleepers. They are choosing to come in and live on the streets and make the pavements their home,” he said.
But Alrudaini said 77% of the extra Housing First places had been filled, and their research and experience showed most people who are homeless did not choose to be.
“People are often driven there by terrible life circumstances and very limited choices. Our years of work tells us that when you genuinely work alongside people – everyone wants a place to call home.”
Auckland Council’s report said most community housing providers contracted through the central government to support homeless people into housing “are at or exceeding [contract] caps” and “the demand is greater than the capacity they have been provisioned to manage”.
Auckland City Mission said it was just as busy as it’s always been, particularly through its day programme Aro Ki Te Ha, which had worked with 500 people since it began in December.
“Not all of those are rough sleepers but obviously if people are coming to the mission during the day in a programme designed for that purpose then people are in need of support.”
Robinson also said it was regularly serving up to 300 people needing support through its Haeata service, which provides a meal a day year-round.
She was very critical of the Government’s intention to push rough sleepers out of public places, which she said wouldn’t contribute to the declining number of people on the street.
“Move-on orders are dealing with a symptom not a cause. All it is doing is literally moving people down the street and not addressing the root cause of the issue, which is that they need homes and they need support.”
Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka said the Government had been clear about reducing reliance on emergency housing and strengthening pathways into stable, long-term homes.
“Our focus remains on ensuring people are supported into sustainable housing solutions, not short-term fixes.”
“Homelessness is complex and requires coordinated action. We will continue working alongside providers, community organisations and local partners to ensure support is targeted, effective and responsive to need,” he said.
Jordan Dunn is a multimedia reporter based in Auckland with a focus on crime, social issues, policing and local issues. He joined Newstalk ZB in 2024 from Radio New Zealand, where he started as an intern out of the New Zealand Broadcasting School.
