Lower Hutt Homelessness Strategy and Prevention Services Initiative

Hutt City Council has committed to work with its partners to improve the response to homelessness and housing need in the city. The Lower Hutt Homelessness Strategy aims to: Work together to end homelessness: Ending homelessness doesn�t mean that no-one will lose their home again.

It means that we have a response in-place to prevent homelessness whenever possible and that if homelessness occurs, it is rare, brief, and non-recurring. Guiding principles Housing is basic human right: everyone has the right to housing that is habitable, affordable, suitable, and secure. Person-centred: to give people control and enable them to set their own aims and goals for the future.

Culturally appropriate: an approach and service delivery that meet the needs of all our people. Collaborative action: working together and taking action. Strategic aims and priorities 1. Preventing homelessness 2. Improving the supply of suitable accommodation and support for people experiencing homelessness 3.

End rough sleeping � help people who are street homeless or living in cars move into and retain settled accommodation 4. Increasing the supply of affordable homes to rent and buy 5. Improving the understanding of homelessness in Lower Hutt In June 2019 Council agreed to provide three year funding to contribute to implementing the strategy.

The funding is to improve access to private rented sector accommodation with support, work with households in the city to prevent homelessness, and, provide housing advice and advocacy. The aim of the prevention initiative is to avoid the negative impacts of homelessness on individuals, their whanau, and the community.

Preventing homelessness avoids the social costs of displacing families as well as reducing economic costs. This prevention service will work with individuals and whanau (one outcome for one household) in Lower Hutt City who are at risk of becoming homeless without an early intervention.

Such intervention is often known as Secondary prevention � focussed on households that are in situations that are likely to lead to homelessness in the near future (such as eviction or relationship breakdown) or households that are at potentially high risk of homelessness because of their characteristics (for example an institutional or care background).

Any questions contact John.Pritchard@huttcity.govt.nz by 16 August.