A Christchurch housing advocate says many people are living rough in the city and predicts the situation will get worse.
Christchurch Tenants' Protection Association manager Helen Gatonyi is calling for Housing New Zealand to take a leading role in tackling the city's homelessness problem.
Ms Gatonyi, who is also Canterbury's representative for the Coalition to End Homelessness, estimates several hundred people are living rough or in unsafe accommodation.
She told Nine to Noon the situation has become worse since the earthquakes as many people have had to move out of their Housing New Zealand homes or boarding houses.
Ms Gatonyi says she is also concerned some displaced Housing New Zealand tenants are turning to private accommodation they can ill-afford.
Housing New Zealand has issued a brief statement saying it is committed to rehousing tenants who have been displaced by the earthquakes.
