How many, if any people are estimated to be sleeping rough in the former residential red zone in Christchurch's eastern suburbs, and what specific action is the Government taking to house them?

Answer

I am advised that the number of people sleeping rough in the red zone in Christchurch fluctuates and that a current accurate count is not available. As part of immediate actions to address homelessness that I announced last year, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has funded additional outreach workers to provide support to rough sleepers in Christchurch to build relationships that enable connections to housing support services. In addition, there have been 26 additional social housing places provided in Christchurch for households in the Housing First programme, with those places all now tenanted.