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National | Auckland Council

Building on council land solution to homeless crisis?

An emergency housing group is building a home on unused Auckland Council land as a political demonstration of how the homelessness crisis could be addressed in Auckland.

Construction of a self-contained tiny home is underway at an unused council site opposite the Manukau Institute of Technology in Manukau, protesting for more action to solve the homelessness crisis.

Build Up Emergency Housing Group spokesperson Piet Ubels says, "What we are asking is, instead of just worrying about the mass building to deal with the need of housing, we need to think about those at the bottom."

An independent stocktake of New Zealand's housing sector released last month found that 80 percent of those seeking emergency shelter are turned away with emergency housing providers bursting at the seams.

Piet’s father Jan Ubels says, "We're in Ormiston which is a huge new suburb, 60,000 people going to move in there. Huge houses, they're big but what about people who only want a small house or who can only afford a small house. They still need a home and that's why this is so important."

The house is costing around $50,000 to build. Build Up is asking the council to standardize low compliance fees for buildings of a minor scale and forgo connection fees for 5 years for temporary emergency housing.

"It's designed for those in need so an easy accommodation could be a mother and two kids, people in a desperate situation," says Ubels.

Build Up is also proposing that Auckland Council allow for the temporary use of surplus council land for emergency housing options.

The Auckland Council told Te Kāea today that they are working with a number of agencies on housing initiatives in regards to using public land for relocatable emergency housing units.

The council says they are also promoting their initiative Housing First which is aimed at dramatically increasing the supply of affordable and social housing in the region.

Piet Ubels says, "This is what is possible and we want to work with council and with the government to do something like this."

The entire build is expected to take two days. It will then be relocated to Te Puea Marae Manaaki Tangata on Wednesday where it will house families in need.