What assessment, if any, has the Minister made of the Salvation Army briefing finding that none of 21 agencies reported a reduction in homelessness and 14 reported increases?

Answer

I understand the briefing to which you refer was provided in December 2025 on behalf of the National Homelessness Data Project (NHDP). HUD officials (now MCERT) undertook a high-level assessment of this compared to the September Homelessness Insights report that was published in December 2025. It noted: • The 21 agencies were from ten areas. • It was unclear what timeframe the data was reflecting. • While the HUD report noted decreases in two areas, reports for the rest of the country were consistent with the briefing. • A specific difference in the reporting from Downtown Community Ministry (DCM, Wellington), noting that DCM is a member of the NHDP project. The difference is likely due to the time period used, which is unclear from the briefing.