June 08, 2016
Maori half of rough sleepers
As winter bites, the Auckland City Mission says it has identified a record 200-plus rough sleepers around the central city, more than half of them Maori.
The new Auckland city missioner, Chris Farelly, says there were 177 people sleeping rough within a three-kilometre radius of the Sky Tower.
A further 51 people who might otherwise have slept rough were located in temporary accommodation at James Liston Hostel, or were listed as patients at Auckland Hospital, Te Whetu Tawera and Starship Hospital.
The last count at the end of 2014 found 147 people sleeping rough, and that was the first time the count was more than 100.
Rough sleepers identified as Maori increased from 42 percent in 2014 to 53 percent, with Pakeha 33 percent up 3 points, Pacific Islanders 9 percent and the rest were of unknown ethnicity.
This year’s Street Count found 45 women sleeping rough, compared with 31 in the previous Count.
Mr Farrelly says the figure stands as further evidence that not only is Auckland experiencing a housing crisis, but that those living at the furthest extremes of poverty are suffering the most.
He says the longer someone sleeps rough, the harder it can be to transition into living a normal life.
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