A rangatahi advocate says New Zealand needs a serious conversations about rangatahi homelessness.
A youth homeless shelter, the Front Door, was opened last night in central Auckland by youth development ropu Kick Back in partnership with Mana Services Trust to establish The Front Door.
Kick Back founder Aaron Hendry says about 50 percent of those who experience homelessness are youth and children.
Successive governments have ignored the problem.
“One of the things we’ve all been advocating for from the community and the sector, is a strategy that will ensure we examine the pipelines into homelessness for our tamariki and rangatahi. And just invest in ensuring that we can close them because we really truly fundamentally believe that youth homelessness shouldn’t exist an alt hero that we can actually do something about it,” Mr Hendry says.
The Front Door on Karangahape Rd is open 24/7 to give homeless youth a safe space with advocates and social workers away from the dangers of the street.
