A Minister for homelessness who does little
Green co-leader Marama Davidson is Minister for homelessness. I can only assume she sees her role as to increase homelessness, as that is what has happened on her watch.
In three years she has only managed to author three papers on homelessness to cabinet and nine press releases on the issue, so on average one every four months.
Some Ministers have three papers in one Cabinet meeting!
But the Government did vote to spend $75 million on helping the homeless, but as usual they think the announcement is more important than the delivery. TVNZ reported:
In last year’s Budget, the Government allocated $75 million over four years to fight homelessness, with $12.6 million set aside for this year.
But so far, only $900,000 has been spent.
“A year ago, the Government announced $75 million dollars for homelessness services. Almost a year later, just a million dollars has gone out the door, about 1.3% of the money. It’s staggering incompetence,” National MP Chris Bishop said.
So 1.3% spent of the four year package and not even 10% of the funding for this year spent.
In the House:
Chris Bishop: Why has just over 1 percent of the $75 million announced last year been spent, when 24,000 families are on the housing register and nearly 3,500 households live in emergency housing?
Hon MARAMA DAVIDSON: It is absolutely unacceptable that even one person is experiencing housing insecurity. We are very clear that Aotearoa should be a place where everyone has warm, affordable, secure housing where they can put down roots, and I want to be clear that the Budget 2022 funding is only one aspect of this Government’s response to homelessness. Delivery of the Homelessness Action Plan has been ongoing and crucial. There are a range of drivers which contribute to the housing insecurity, and work is under way across Government to address the range of issues, including housing affordability and supply; poverty; access to and availability of social support services and health services—and we know there is definitely still more work to be done. My role in the Homelessness Action Plan has been absolutely crucial to focus the Government’s efforts on preventing and interrupting homelessness.
SPEAKER: That was a lot of information, but it didn’t actually address the basic part of the question. Mr Bishop, do you want another question, or do you want to ask that one again?
Chris Bishop: Oh, I’ll ask that one again, if that’s all right, which—it is very simple—why is only just over 1 percent of the money announced in Budget 2022 in relation to homelessness services being spent a year later?
Hon MARAMA DAVIDSON: All of those initiatives are working exactly to plan, and by July 2023—which is what we said they would do—those initiatives will be ready. These are a new way of working; Mr Bishop should move away from the old way of working that simply counted numbers out the door, as opposed to an enduring solution that the communities are authentically helping us to lead, and that absolutely does require the time to get these initiatives right.
SPEAKER: That still doesn’t answer the question. I’m going to give the member an additional question.
Chris Bishop: When she says that these programmes are working exactly as planned, is she telling the House that it was a design feature of the announcement that no or very little money would have gone out the door a year later and the metrics for success, as to analysing the effectiveness of that money, will only be developed once the money starts being spent?
Like shooting fish in a barrel. She keeps saying it is all going to plan with the same fervour and one gets told we have always been at war with Eurasia!