Housing
First
Our aim is to respond to homelessness by making it rare, brief and non-recurring.
Housing First is designed to deliver a pathway to exit homelessness, and to provide a system of support that is needed to sustain housing. Our service is exclusive to people who are chronically homeless in Auckland CBD.
Housing is a basic human right
Housing First recognises housing is a basic human right. The programme helps people experiencing chronic homelessness in the city centre. Housing First gives people power to lead their recovery, choice and access to wrap-around support for as long as they need it.
To qualify for the Housing First programme, the applicant must:
- Have been sleeping rough for at least 12 months or a total of 12 months in the last 3 years,
- Have high or complex support needs,
- Require ongoing support services to help them stay housed, and
- Agree to engage and be supported in their pathway of housing.
Our approach is collaborative
The Auckland City Centre Housing First Programme is a partnership between Lifewise and the Auckland City Mission. Our two organisations share a commitment to end homelessness. Together, we have more than 100 years’ experience working with people experiencing homelessness and hardship in central Auckland.
The nature of homelessness is complex. Long-term homelessness in the city centre brings additional challenges. To be effective, our response must be a collective endeavour.
Our programme has a strong kaupapa Māori approach. We designed it with Tangata Whenua and the street community at every step. This includes the involvement of people with lived experience of homelessness. Their participation means the voice of the ‘rough sleeper’ community is incorporated from the outset.
We also work alongside partners from Auckland Council, Ministry of Social Development, Housing New Zealand, Te Whatu Ora, Iwi and other NGOs. Airedale Property Trust has partnered with us to locate and lease the housing and provide tenancy management and support.
A model for success
The Housing First model is succeeding in many different communities. The same principles remain at its core.
- Focus on recovery and self-sufficiency; a safe environment is crucial to recovery
- Maximise people’s choice
- Provide immediate access to housing in the community
- Separate housing and support services
- Focus on reducing harm
- Offer chances for joining social and cultural events
The programme keeps growing to match the need
Work on the programme began in June 2016. By the end of July that year, the government announced $3 million of funding for Housing First in Auckland.
The Housing Minister at the time, Paula Bennett, said, “I am particularly pleased to be supporting the Housing First initiative. This locally-based homeless strategy will operate in Central, West and South Auckland.”
In 2020, Housing First provided 60 people with rapid access to permanent housing with flexible community-based support.
Download a PDF of The Story of Housing First
We co-designed Te Pou Tuatahi o Tāmaki: Housing First Auckland City Centre
In June 2020, a small team at Lifewise ran a design sprint. They set out to meet the growing housing and support needs of people struggling to sustain their tenancies in the Lifewise Housing First programme. Nine Housing First whānau were directly involved.
Here is the record of our design process. It describes each stage of the design sprint and the discoveries we made found along the way.
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