Further to reply 28938 (2026), what, if anything, does the Minister attribute the more than doubling of rough sleeping households in Wellington (18 to 37) and Northland (14 to 29) over that period to?

Answer

This was data from regular Housing First reporting that has known data limitations; the reporting not being designed to capture the living situation of those waiting to be housed and only the situation at which they join the service. It is difficult to accurately estimate the number of homeless people. The causes of homelessness are complex and are often due to a range of issues that often require more than just a housing response. The Government is committed to targeting support, early intervention and getting better data to target homelessness.