Transcript
KATE AMORE: Compared with Europeans the rate of homelessness amongst Pacific people is ten to one, so Pacific people are ten times more likely to experience homelessness. We know that Pacific people are more likely to be living with family in particular or friends and we only count crowded situations and only the extra people in the house as homeless. They have to also have incomes below the poverty line and have nowhere else to live, they are the people that we count. The really worrying thing is that the government hasn't recognised that people sharing with others are homeless or kind of need any assistance or need to be counted. I think Pacific people and Maori and many other non-European cultures are much more likely to take people in for potentially a long period of time. I don't want that practice to disadvantage people and for the government to say, 'well they are fine and they don't need any assistance'.
KORO VAKA'UTA: People sleeping rough in the streets and in cars and things. I guess that's the perception people have when you talk about homeless people but as you mention, that's not the case, housing-deprived people, or homeless, can be living with other people in a house.
KA: We are talking about everyone who can't access housing and we say if you can't access a basic rental and therefore you have to sleep in some other kind of temporary situation. We are counting all those people as homeless or severely housing-deprived because we have to plan for all those people and that is the kind of housing shortage for people on low incomes so we need to measure all those people. Most people, when they can't access housing of their own, are not going to go sleep on the street because there are a number of options. They're not permanent options, they're not adequate options, but they're definitely better than the street usually. A car, staying in a motel or boarding house, staying in your friend or family's lounge-room or garage and all over the world but we think particularly in New Zealand that's how homelessness manifests. We know that's a major driver of household crowding and that puts everyone in the house under stress, not just the people who are homeless. On the other side, we are so lucky in New Zealand and particularly amongst Pacific populations, that we are so caring for each other that even if it puts us at a disadvantage, makes life a bit more difficult for us, we take in people who are in need but I wouldn't want that to disadvantage people and for the government to then say 'they are off the radar, they don't need any help because they have got a garage to sleep in'.
KV: Since your research have you noticed maybe a change in approach because you have mentioned you don't want there to be any less urgency in addressing people that maybe have a cultural preference for living multi-generationally or have an extended family kind of environment?
KA: I think definitely the public perception is changing and I think people are aware that this is an issue. It is not going away. So that's really encouraging that the public are going to put pressure on something actually happening but unfortunately the government just continues to focus on emergency housing and not really looking at the big issue in terms of providing affordable housing and serious support services that some people need. They are still not funding those. I think for Pacific people in New Zealand, we still design houses for a European nuclear family and Pacific people have been in New Zealand for so long and we know that there is a preference for multi-generational living but we are still not designing or building houses that account for that so that still has to change.
KV: On the plus side, you did mention that this issue is in the public eye more and more and we did have the '14 hours homeless' events for example in Auckland on Friday as well, so there is a movement, an awareness about this issue isn't there that will hopefully move action as well?
KA: Yeah I think because everyone is now feeling housing stress. The problems with the housing market and our incomes not being in line with how much housing is costing. I think people, now that they are feeling that personally, are able to, everyone is able to think about what situation people who are more vulnerable and with less resources must be in. I think this is the perfect time, when we are all kind of on the same page, to really do something about housing.