Latest news with #AaronHendry
RNZ News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Boot camps are 'child prisons' says Kick Back's Aaron Hendry
Aaron Hendry likens the boot camp initiative to "child prisons". Photo: A youth development organisation has compared the government's military style boot camps to child prisons. Co-founder of Kick Back Aaron Hendry told RNZ the $33 million for new boot camps set aside in the government's budget announcement should be put towards addressing child poverty instead. The boot camp initiative, designed to tackle recidivism among young people, did not work and was equivalent to child prison, he said. "As a country we have decided that our solution for tamariki homelessness, for kids sleeping on our streets, is to house those children in child prisons." The government was not paying attention to why children were ending up in the youth justice system, he said. "We are ignoring some of the big key drivers behind ... child crime, and we're not providing the support and care that these kids need to actually prevent them from entering the justice system. "If we just had the right services in our communities, the right housing and the right support for our families, they would not be in the justice system today. They are on this pathway to these prison systems, these boot camps, because the government is choosing, making the very clear decision not to invest in these kids." KickBack was in contact with children as young as 11 who had nowhere to live, Hendry said. Minister for Children Karen Chhour, in statement, said the funding covered both a "military style component, but also a rehabilitative and trauma-informed care approach". "This initiative provides funding for the operation of Military Style Academies and transitional support for young serious offenders. "This includes rehabilitative support, participation in educational programmes, engagement with whānau, and reintegration back into the community after the in-residence MSA programme. "While in the community stage, each young person is supported by a team including a social worker and mentor, as well as ongoing programme activity. "Individual plans address health and wellbeing needs, encourage further education and teach employment and life skills such as budgeting and cooking. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Kick Back: Bootcamp Investment A Choice Of Prisons Over Housing For Homeless Kids
Press Release – Kick Back The growing number of people sleeping rough, and young people and children walking through Kick Back's doors, is not an accident. Kick Back is currently monitoring over 140 children and young people and has significant concerns that the crisis of …Kick Back, a youth development and social justice community responding to Youth Homelessness, is calling for urgent action to address Tamariki and rangatahi homelessness. Kick Back is concerned about the Government's decision not to invest in a specific response to tamariki and youth homelessness in Budget 2025. With winter coming, and the crisis of homelessness escalating, the Government could have decided to invest in a bold and comprehensive strategy to prevent and end youth homelessness. Instead, the Government's decision to invest more resources into Boot Camps and child prisons, while pulling more funding from Emergency Housing, and choosing not to invest in housing and crisis support services for children and young people, reveals a clear decision to allow prisons to remain this Government's solution for kids experiencing homelessness. 'By choosing Boot Camps and investment in the children's prison system, the Government is choosing to allow the justice system to be the solution for children experiencing homelessness.' Says Aaron Hendry Kick Back's Co-founder and General Manager. 'Kick Back is meeting an increasing number of children experiencing homelessness, these kids are forced into conflict with the law simply because they don't have access to their basic human needs, such as housing, kai and a safe place to sleep.' Kick Back is concerned that the ongoing cuts to Public and Community Services is limiting the resources available for our children and putting some of our most vulnerable kids at risk of harm. The growing number of people sleeping rough, and young people and children walking through Kick Back's doors, is not an accident. Kick Back is currently monitoring over 140 children and young people and has significant concerns that the crisis of youth homelessness is escalating. Homelessness is a political choice. If the Government had wanted to begin working towards ending youth homelessness in Aotearoa they could have taken meaningful steps to address this growing crisis in Budget 2025. Such as: Rolling back their Emergency Housing and Welfare reforms to ensure everyone can access the support they need Investing in developing a strategy to prevent and end youth homelessness Committing to developing #Duty2Assist legislation to ensure no one is denied access to shelter when they needed Reinvesting the 20million dollars, cut from the last budget, back into building youth specific housing projects Committing to prioritizing young people on the Public Housing list and developing a strong Public Housing build plan Investing in Immediate Housing and Crisis services to replace motel-based Emergency Housing 'The crisis is escalating! Winter is coming! More and more children and young people are at-risk of homelessness and our Government has chosen not to respond.' Says Aaron Hendry, Kick Back's Co-Founder and General Manager, 'Instead of investing in our kids safety and ensuring all our children have access to safe and stable housing this Winter the Government has decided that the solution for children sleeping on our streets, for youth homelessness, is to invest in prisons for children.' Kick Back calls on the Government to listen to the voices of rangatahi and tamariki experiencing homelessness and to act urgently to respond to this crisis! 'Without urgent action the lives of some of our most vulnerable children and young people will be put at-risk this winter! The Government must act now to prevent any more of our kids sleeping rough this winter! We can end youth homelessness, we are in this mess because of political decisions, the Hope is in the fact that we can make different ones.'
Scoop
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Kick Back: Bootcamp Investment A Choice Of Prisons Over Housing For Homeless Kids
Press Release – Kick Back The growing number of people sleeping rough, and young people and children walking through Kick Back's doors, is not an accident. Kick Back is currently monitoring over 140 children and young people and has significant concerns that the crisis of …Kick Back, a youth development and social justice community responding to Youth Homelessness, is calling for urgent action to address Tamariki and rangatahi homelessness. Kick Back is concerned about the Government's decision not to invest in a specific response to tamariki and youth homelessness in Budget 2025. With winter coming, and the crisis of homelessness escalating, the Government could have decided to invest in a bold and comprehensive strategy to prevent and end youth homelessness. Instead, the Government's decision to invest more resources into Boot Camps and child prisons, while pulling more funding from Emergency Housing, and choosing not to invest in housing and crisis support services for children and young people, reveals a clear decision to allow prisons to remain this Government's solution for kids experiencing homelessness. 'By choosing Boot Camps and investment in the children's prison system, the Government is choosing to allow the justice system to be the solution for children experiencing homelessness.' Says Aaron Hendry Kick Back's Co-founder and General Manager. 'Kick Back is meeting an increasing number of children experiencing homelessness, these kids are forced into conflict with the law simply because they don't have access to their basic human needs, such as housing, kai and a safe place to sleep.' Kick Back is concerned that the ongoing cuts to Public and Community Services is limiting the resources available for our children and putting some of our most vulnerable kids at risk of harm. The growing number of people sleeping rough, and young people and children walking through Kick Back's doors, is not an accident. Kick Back is currently monitoring over 140 children and young people and has significant concerns that the crisis of youth homelessness is escalating. Homelessness is a political choice. If the Government had wanted to begin working towards ending youth homelessness in Aotearoa they could have taken meaningful steps to address this growing crisis in Budget 2025. Such as: Rolling back their Emergency Housing and Welfare reforms to ensure everyone can access the support they need Investing in developing a strategy to prevent and end youth homelessness Committing to developing #Duty2Assist legislation to ensure no one is denied access to shelter when they needed Reinvesting the 20million dollars, cut from the last budget, back into building youth specific housing projects Committing to prioritizing young people on the Public Housing list and developing a strong Public Housing build plan Investing in Immediate Housing and Crisis services to replace motel-based Emergency Housing 'The crisis is escalating! Winter is coming! More and more children and young people are at-risk of homelessness and our Government has chosen not to respond.' Says Aaron Hendry, Kick Back's Co-Founder and General Manager, 'Instead of investing in our kids safety and ensuring all our children have access to safe and stable housing this Winter the Government has decided that the solution for children sleeping on our streets, for youth homelessness, is to invest in prisons for children.' Kick Back calls on the Government to listen to the voices of rangatahi and tamariki experiencing homelessness and to act urgently to respond to this crisis! 'Without urgent action the lives of some of our most vulnerable children and young people will be put at-risk this winter! The Government must act now to prevent any more of our kids sleeping rough this winter! We can end youth homelessness, we are in this mess because of political decisions, the Hope is in the fact that we can make different ones.'
RNZ News
18-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
'The Pink Hoodz' lending a helping hand to those sleeping rough on Auckland's Karangahape Road
Auckland's Karangahape Road. Photo: 123RF People wearing pink hoodies will soon lend a helping hand to those sleeping rough on Auckland's Karangahape Road. An organisation trying to prevent youth homelessness, Kick Back Make Change, was training a small group of volunteers it called The Pink Hoodz. Kick Back co-founder and manager Aaron Hendry said The Pink Hoodz would walk up and down the street, giving out food and connecting those who need it with emergency housing and other support services. He said the community was taking matters into their own hands to address the recent spike in homelessness in the city after feeling failed by the government . "The Pink Hoodz is about us as a community recognising no one is coming to save us. "We are the ones we have been waiting for, we can come together, get organised, and start responding to this rise that is so evident on our streets and do what we can to serve and care for this community." He said dozens of people expressed interest in joining the Pink Hoodz at a hui held last month. Since opening their service The Front Door on Karangahpae Road in July 2024, Hendry said children - the youngest being nine - had come to them needing food, shelter, clothing, and healthcare. He said they were currently monitoring over 130 youths across the city. "Kids as young as nine or 11-years-old are sleeping rough and in really dangerous situations. "We're concerned about their safety, physical health, and in some cases their lives with mental health being a really big issue." He said government decisions were "increasing poverty and inequality in society". "No government has done enough to curb this crisis but now it's esculating. "Recent policy announcements: no cause evictions, mandating Kāinga Ora to be tougher in their evictions process , and changes to emergency housing and welfare reforms are leading to more people being on the street." He said The Pink Hoodz would first launch on Karangahape Road with plans to expand across the city when possible. Auckland Central MP and Green Party Co-Leader Chlöe Swarbrick, who was involved in the project from its inception, said the community recognised a clear need, particularly heading into the colder months. "Our community is confronted with the consequences of political decisions and we have to grapple with it and that's why The Pink Hoodz have come about. "Unfortunately we don't have government resources to do this because the government has decided not to help, in fact they're making it worse. But we are going to do absolutely everything we can to support the people who turn up in our neighbourhood." She said Housing Minister Tama Potaka received a briefing from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development in December that visible homelessness was increasing. "A month later, in January of this year, the Prime Minister stood up knowing full well their decisions had made homelessness worse and told the country to celebrate them marking a 75 percent reduction in people in emergency housing, all the while more people were on the streets. "This government has shown its disdain for people experiencing hardship and is making intentional decisions that it knows will increase that hardship." A spokesperson for Housing Minister Tama Potaka's office defended celebrating emergency housing reductions. "We continue to improve our information and know the vast majority of people - about 85 percent - leaving emergency housing are going into better homes. "Since last April when we introduced the Priority One category, prioritising whānau with tamariki who have been in emergency housing for 12 weeks or more, we have supported more than 2000 children and their whānau into better homes. "Emergency housing remains available as a temporary last resort for people in genuine need and there is a whole range of other housing support services available. "The previous administration allowed emergency housing numbers to balloon out of control and they only knew where about 50 percent were going, which simply wasn't good enough." On social media, Kick Back shared that Potaka recently visited them where he heard from young people experiencing homelessness. Swarbrick hoped The Pink Hoodz initiative would provide a model organisations across the country could use. Those interested in volunteering were encouraged to contact the Kick Back team on Instagram or Facebook. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
