Homeless crisis hidden in plain sight
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- Date published:
8:11 am, February 28th, 2017 - 10 comments
Categories: bill english, class war, housing, national, useless -
Tags: broken by design, economic genius, hidden homeless, homeless, homeless crisis, list, measurement, none so blind
National’s economic geniuses are at it again, spending money on emergency housing grants 15 times faster than expected because they have (so they say) no idea how big the problem is. That is of course incompetent, but it is true to the extent that the government doesn’t collect relevant data:
The government admits it uses incomplete data to address the problem of housing New Zealand’s most vulnerable people. As well as a budget blow-out on emergency housing, the government has revealed it was unable to keep records of how long people waited for social housing.
They aren’t unable to keep records, they are unwilling. The truth of the matter is that Bill English knows full well the importance of defining and measuring problems that you want to solve. Here he is on beneficiaries:
Mr English said the valuation [of benefit costs] was an important “performance tool” and would change the behaviour of the Government by forcing it to confront the long-term issue rather than accepting it was an unavoidable cost. … “When you take a long-term model, there’s no place to hide.”
No place to hide indeed. Which is why (giggle!) the Nats refuse to measure poverty, and say that they are unable to keep records on housing wait times. Because if they measured the problems they would have one fewer excuse for doing nothing about them. Claiming ignorance is a deliberate strategy. Bill English thinks he can get away with statements like this:
Prime Minister Bill English is saying there were clearly “hidden homeless” who didn’t come forward with their issues until the grant became available.
Hidden only from those who will not see. In plain sight to the rest of us…
One in 100 Kiwis homeless, new study shows numbers quickly rising
Calls for increase in social housing as nearly half of the homeless are children
Families with children now 53% of NZ’s homeless
Calls for increase in social housing as nearly half of the homeless are children
New Zealand housing crisis forces hundreds to live in tents and garages
Work and Income sent families to garages
New Zealand’s most shameful secret: ‘We have normalised child poverty’
Working poor at ‘crisis’ point (.)
A third of NZ children live in poverty
Big hike in food parcel demand – Salvation Army
Work and Income sent families to garages
Government abandons social housing target of 65,000
Poverty NZ’s ‘new normal’ – report
Housing crisis blamed for Auckland’s rheumatic fever rates
Most homeless are working poor – Otago Uni
A week at Te Puea (and Marae has fears of ‘smear campaign’)
Government abandons social housing target of 65,000
Housing crisis blamed for Auckland’s rheumatic fever rates
New Zealand’s most shameful secret: ‘We have normalised child poverty’
Housing NZ to look into slum claims
The slums of Jebson Pl
Slum warning over Auckland CBD
Minister vows to hold slumlords to account
Anger over ‘slum landlord’ Government
Research finds pockets of extreme poverty
Third world diseases affecting NZ children, says doctor
Findings on disease rate ‘a disgrace’
Shock look at NZ’s child poverty
Poverty blamed for leap in infectious disease admissions
Disease figures a national ’embarrassment’
Auckland homelessness: Rough sleepers tally doubles
Demand high at Auckland City Mission
Hamilton plan to ban rough sleeping
and so on and on and on…
Bill English tells @TheAMShowNZ the flood of emergency housing grants is "demand driven" – but no housing crisis.
— Newshub Politics (@NewshubPolitics) February 26, 2017
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The Government has done the right thing in moving to ban greyhound racing. ...2 weeks ago
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The irony. In the Herald this morning. Housing NZ can build pop-up houses, but it cannot seem to re-build state houses or re-develop where state housing is left empty for years.
However the crisis will ease slightly in the next few weeks as a new 51-unit “pop-up” emergency housing block is completed in Luke St, Otahuhu. Families moved into the first three homes yesterday and the development will be opened by Prime Minister Bill English today. The two-, three- and four-bedroom houses have been built temporarily on land that will be needed for a school in seven to 10 years. Housing NZ has built the homes but they will be managed by VisionWest, (and others)
Time for some continued pop-up protests against the Natz sluggish, foot dragging, PR-led minimum-as-possible housing policy.
As a life-time renter I’m frigging sick of this total disrespect for those of us who rent – rents keep going up, and utility bills, etc. Natz mates get richer.
And I’m one of the better off renters. It’s life, health and education damaging to low income people.
Bling & other Nats prevaricating on this is unconscionable. Their voters must have their heads in the sand if they think the Natz do-nothing on housing is acceptable morally and ethically.
It is not a land supply problem. It’s a speculator and developer greed problem. It’s a – not enough secure and safe state housing – problem.
And remember the “Ministry for Vulnerable Children” are using motels to place children as there are not enough homes or carers available for emergency care.
When I asked a social worker who looks after these children in the motels, she said that they hire security guards to guard the external environment for these children.
The failures of this government are particularly vicious on our most vulnerable.
WTF for reals, they hire a security guard to guard the external environment of these children, after ditching them at a motel because of a lack of homes/carers.
Gobsmacked, really gobsmacked. Those kids don’t need to feel like they have been dumped in a ‘prison’ with a ‘guard’ on the door. Far out. That’s so messed up, and will cause all sorts of harm.
Wow just wow, the lack of humanity towards NZ children (especially those already suffering) by the outgoing government is horrific. Crikey change is needed.
Purely from conversation with a social worker, due to the fact we were enrolled in a Te Reo class that was held at the local CYFS offices. We were talking about the lack of available foster homes, and she complained that the number of emergency placements gets higher around Christmas and they did not have anywhere to place these children.
So I asked, where did they end up? And this was the response.
I have not seen this mentioned in any news articles or media, but was dismayed at the answer. (Also, at the casual mention of “Well, we need to put them somewhere and you wouldn’t want these kids in your home…”)
Great post – there is nowhere for the tick from dipton to hide – the incompetence in both their pretend ignorance and their belief that they can get away with it is staggering. The gnats are a leaderless rabble – can’t wait for them to lose and go away.
+ !00 marty mars
I agree this is a good post,
you bring great clarity to the issues Anthony Robins.
Yes this government choose to be blind to their
viciousness to the vulnerable.
Suggestions for Ngnashional on the real problem of lack of housing and poor resourcing of the country by ‘wide boys’ of the Right Wing and especially
Bill English (Why don’t you go back to where you came from):
Perhaps the hidden homelss are Up On the Roof.
Carole King and James Taylor tell us:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbasjy2_IY8
or Under the Boardwalk
Drifters
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPEqRMVnZNU
Or Down in the Boondocks
Billie Joe Royal
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuncCv1dcdQ
Sitting in the Park
Georgie Fame
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3nNB8D_A1k
Sitting on the Dock of the Bay
Otis Redding
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTVjnBo96Ug
and what happens at the end of this – unhappiness –
Ain’t No Sunshine
Bill Withers
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIdIqbv7SPo
and Stormy Weather
Billie Holiday
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4JTE76Xnp0
So Bill if you haven’t got any understanding and empathy for others not in your sunny heights of life with plenty of comforts, listen to the above as the songwriters tell it like it is for lots of good people. Just try you stringbean of superior society!
Government fighting immigration’s tentacles on every front
My bold.