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National | Homeless

Homelessness in Manurewa reaches epic proportions

Over 200 people are still waiting for emergency housing in one South Auckland community alone. Manurewa MP Louisa Wall is calling on more government support as homelessness reaches epic proportions.

A shortage of Housing New Zealand homes has seen an influx of homelessness in Manurewa. There are 47 registered homeless people in the Manurewa CBD alone.

Manurewa MP Louisa Wall says, "We have an under provision of state houses in my electorate and in fact, housing New Zealand have decommissioned 240 state houses."

The government spends over $140,000 on emergency accommodation a day. Manurewa MP Louisa Wall says that some emergency accommodation in Manurewa is uninhabitable.

"Some of the complaints that I have learnt of recently is that some of this accommodation means that they are rat infested that they are cockroach infested that families and children are living in what is a step away from living in the streets or in the car."

Community Volunteer Debbie Munroe believes that high rent is a contributor to homelessness in Manurewa and has a strong message for the National Government.

"Step up guys do something for our whanau, stop selling our houses, bring our rent down, people cannot afford it, I mean Manurewa $500 is probably the cheapest 3 bedroom house," says Munroe.

Louisa Wall says that the National Government aren't committed to ending homelessness in New Zealand.

“It's criminal actually cause I think that the government have contributed to the death of people who through no fault of their own have nowhere else to go.”

The Manurewa community is holding a March this Saturday at 12 pm, starting at the Manurewa Methodist Church, to highlight homelessness in their community.