Latest news with #emergencyhousing
RNZ News
21-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
The social housing waitlist: Woman told no emergency homes available at all
Hine Taylor. Photo: RNZ/Katie Todd Queenstown's Hine Taylor has been living couch-to-couch for more than five months while she sits tight on a lengthy social housing waiting list. She said she longs to have a place of her own - "a warm, safe home over my head." Taylor estimated she knew about 10 other people sleeping in cars, on the street or couch-surfing in Queenstown, who hoped to find a place to call home before winter set in. She had been told there was no emergency housing available at all. "Emergency housing does not exist... it used to apparently in Queenstown. So what more do you do, but carry on living in faith that in due time [a house] may pop along," she said. Ministry of Social Development (MSD) data showed the number of households in emergency housing in Otago and Southland fell from 27 in November 2023 to just three in March. In comparison, there were 36 households in emergency housing in the West Coast and Tasman regions, 30 in Bay of Plenty and nine in the central North Island, all of which had smaller populations than Otago and Southland. MSD received more than 100 applications for emergency housing from people in the Southland district in the three months to March but declined more than half. The ministry did not provide a breakdown of the reasons why, although in some cases it said there were other housing options available. The Ministry of Social Development last year introduced new rules to cut the number of people using emergency housing, including tougher eligibility criteria and a stand-down for 13 weeks on the housing grant if someone broke the rules. At the time, ministers maintained emergency housing would "always be available as a last resort for those who need it". Dunedin Night Shelter manager David McKenzie said he was stunned to learn of the lack of emergency housing, with a visible rise in homelessness. He estimated there were about 30 or 40 "hardcore homeless" in the city and dozens of other "hidden homeless" living in cars or on couches. Dunedin oval where fire broke out in homeless camp. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton Earlier this month fire tore through the tents of a homeless camp at The Oval, with one person treated for minor injuries. McKenzie said some people staying at the shelter told him they had been turned away from emergency housing because they had "contributed to their own need". "We are seeing, at the night shelter, a level of desperation from some people that we've not seen before," he said. A local motel that provided 10 transitional housing units would no longer offer room from next month after deciding not to review its Ministry of Housing and Urban Development contract. The ministry was helping people find alternative accommodation but conceded there could be a "small drop" in the number of transitional housing places in Dunedin. McKenzie said it would have an impact. "At the night shelter the issues generally not been having enough night shelter beds. The issue has always been the where to next for people," he said. The government had repeatedly denied claims that changes to emergency housing rules had contributed to a rise in homelessness. MSD southern regional director Sue Rissman said emergency housing was limited in Otago and Southland because rental properties were more available and rents lower relative to other regions. She said it remained a "last resort". "If someone who applies is eligible for a different and more suitable type of support, we will provide that instead," she said in a statement. There had been a significant increase in social housing, Rissman said. "In the period since April 2024 there has been an increase of 98 public homes in Dunedin and 32 in Invercargill which has helped with demand for housing," she said. Data provided to RNZ under the Official Information Act suggested that change had not quelled demand for emergency housing. In the first three months of this year MSD received 108 applications for emergency housing from people in the Southland District. It declined 58 - more than half - compared to a decline rate of about one in three nationally. There were 643 people on the register for public housing in Otago and Southland in March. Community Law Otago solicitor Rupert O'Brien said his organisation had heard of people in unsafe or makeshift housing situations being told that they were ineligible for emergency housing grants. "In our discussions with MSD's head office and policy team in Wellington they've said that ought not to be happening and that's not their instructions to the frontline staff. Well that is our experience," he said. Labour MP Ingrid Leary. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Taiere Labour MP Ingrid Leary said the figures were "devastating" and did not include people who had struggled to apply for emergency housing in the first place. "It's really difficult for people to get appointments to even get on the list," she said. "It's extremely concerning given the very high level of need that we have and also taking into account the cold temperatures we experience. "People who are not in houses - say they're in tents or in cars - it makes it even worse for them that they cannot get into emergency housing," she said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Toddler who died after falling from height tumbled from a window on the top floor flat of an 'HMO used for emergency housing'
A two-year-old boy who died after falling from a height fell from the top floor of an HMO used for emergency housing, neighbours have said. Police and paramedics were called on Sunday to an address in Forest Hill, near Lewisham, south east London. The incident happened on Wynell Road, with emergency services alerted shortly after 12.15pm. An air ambulance was scrambled to the scene. The toddler was treated at the address before being taken to hospital but sadly he died from his injuries. A police investigation has been launched to establish what happened, but the toddler's death is currently being treated as unexplained. Today neighbours told how the boy plummeted from a top floor flat in a property specially reserved for emergency housing. A mother who lives opposite the house said: 'As soon as we heard the air ambulance we ran outside, the police already had sheets up and everything was covered but I got a glimpse of them doing chest compression before they put them in the ambulance. 'We first heard someone got shot. 'I've never met the boy or the woman who I think is his mum, I'd never even seen her, but because it's an HMO there are always people coming and going - I think people are housed there for emergencies. 'The windows in that building are not safe, they open outwards and it would be so easy to lean against them and fall. 'Our neighbour's lad who lives near there came and told us he'd seen the little boy lying in the garden. 'That house should not be used for kids, someone needs to take responsibility for that but I don't think anyone will. 'I just can't believe this, that poor woman, I don't think I could ever go back in there if my child had fallen. 'I had never seen the woman before Sunday, but I want her to know we're thinking of her, we care about her.' On Tuesday, flowers had been left on the wall outside a property where the two-year old is believed to have died. The road, a quiet residential street in Forest Hill, south east London, was filled with emergency services vehicles when the incident occurred on Sunday. One pensioner said: 'The first I heard of it was the air ambulance, it landed on the bowling club lawn I think. 'Then my neighbour told me this morning that a little boy had died, it's such a tragedy.' Another woman, who lives near the site of the fall, said the boy had apparently fallen from the window of a flat. She said: 'On Sunday I was in my garden and the air ambulance flew over very nearby. 'It landed somewhere and I ran out onto the road to find out what had happened. 'Someone said a child had fallen, but we didn't know his age or anything at that time. 'I came back in because it was all so chaotic and I felt in the way. 'My neighbour came over later and told me the little boy had fallen from a window, I don't know what floor it was but it's just horrible. 'I have been crying for the last two days about it, I just keep thinking of the parents, they're going to have to deal with the loss of that little life for the rest of their lives.' A Met Police spokeswoman said: 'On Sunday at 12.17pm police were called following reports that a child had fallen from height. 'Met officers attended the scene alongside paramedics from the London Ambulance Service who treated a two-year-old boy at the scene before taking him to hospital. 'Sadly, despite the best efforts of the medical staff, he later died in hospital. 'His family are currently being supported by specialist officers. 'The death is being treated as unexpected and remains under investigation. There has been no arrests made. 'Enquiries into the circumstances are on-going.' A spokesperson for London Ambulance Service said: 'We were called at 12.11pm on Sunday 18 May to reports of an incident in Wynell Road, SE23. 'We sent resources including ambulance crews, an incident response officer and London's air ambulance. 'We treated a child at the scene and took them to hospital. Sadly, despite our efforts they died.'
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
At least 18 dead in Kentucky, nearly 200,000 left without power after weekend storms
Kentucky's governor announced the state would look into emergency housing options after storms and severe weather killed at least 18 people in Kentucky. "We are hard at work this morning addressing the tragic damage and deaths caused by severe weather Saturday morning," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear wrote in a post on the social media site X. "We are securing emergency housing options and looking into sites for intermediate housing." On May 16, Beshear declared a state of emergency due to a weather system that was moving across the state. All 18 confirmed killed were adults, ranging in age from 25 to 74, according to the Kentucky Governor's Office's press release. Some of the victims' ages have not been disclosed, and only a few have been named publicly. At least another five deaths are suspected. Most of the victims lived in Laurel County, but one person, a female whose age was not disclosed, lived in Pulaski County, which is around 133 miles southeast of Louisville, Kentucky. Laurel County is around 150 miles southeast of Louisville. Seven deaths were also reported in Missouri, while two were reported in Virginia, according to USA TODAY's previous reporting. USA TODAY has contacted the Kentucky Governor's Office for more information. On May 17, more than 69,000 people were left without power, according to Beshear. Immediately after the storm, however, that figure had jumped to over 172,000. The number has since shrunk down to 26,517 as of May 18, according to USA TODAY data. As of 10:30 a.m. ET, around 194,455 outages are being reported throughout five states, including Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Alabama and Arkansas, according to USA TODAY's data. The severe weather was not isolated to Kentucky. Preliminary reports of tornadoes were also made in the following states: Missouri Illinois Indiana New Jersey Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, Zac Anderson; USA TODAY Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@ (This is a developing story and will be updated.) This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 18 dead in Kentucky after severe storms hit states across country
Washington Post
13-05-2025
- General
- Washington Post
60,000 people set to prematurely lose federal housing assistance
Nearly 60,000 people in the United States will lose their federal housing assistance years before they anticipated, placing them at imminent risk of eviction and potential homelessness. A sweeping effort launched in 2021 allocated $5 billion to rapidly house the most vulnerable people at the height of the coronavirus pandemic: those living on the streets, facing domestic violence or experiencing human trafficking. The emergency housing vouchers initiative — a beefed-up version of the longtime Section 8 program — was slated to last through 2030, granting recipients housing security through the decade with the expectation that they would have the time and resources to wean off the assistance.
Daily Mail
11-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Squatting activist shares staggering 'Aboriginal Australia' justification for his antics - as he publishes DIY guide of how to take over someone else's house
A controversial squatter's rights activist has sparked fresh uproar after he published a DIY guide for his followers on how to detect whether a house is fit for squatting. Jordan van den Lamb, 29, collects addresses for abandoned or empty homes and provides them to Australians in need of emergency housing. In a recent TikTok video posted under his moniker Purplepingers, he shared what to look out for in identifying an empty home - from checking the fuse box and gas meter to researching online real estate listings. While the video received mostly positive reactions, a number of viewers were furious at the idea of having to justify their right to homeownership. In an interview with Daily Mail Australia, Mr van den Lamb claimed property owners had a responsibility to make productive use of their land. Where it was clearly demonstrated they had failed to do so by leaving it empty or abandoned - usually for at least two years - he claimed it was justified for a squatter to move in. He said the idea is embedded in Australia's cultural history. 'It's how we colonised the country. It was like: "this land was owned by no one", which is obviously flawed right. And therefore, the land rights were granted to colonial squatters,' he said. 'The song Waltzing Matilda is literally about that... read the lyrics, it's about a squatter evicting a swagman from their property.' Each state and territory in Australia has its own version of adverse possession laws allowing squatters to claim ownership over land they've openly and continuously possessed for a defined period of time. In most jurisdictions, possession must be held for 12 to 15 years. For his part, Mr van den Lamb believes this is excessively long. 'Twelve to 15 years is a ridiculous amount of time for a house to be empty, especially noting these houses are empty for much longer periods prior to them being squatted [in],' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'If someone's living in a house you've literally not bothered to check on for like two years.... You have a responsibility to use it productively'. Mr van den Lamb draws justification for encouraging Aussies to take ownership of empty homes in part from the vacant residential land tax in Victoria, which requires homeowners to pay a tax on properties left unoccupied for one year. He claimed many residents were committing fraud by failing to pay the tax, while others took advantage of the enforcement limitations. 'The data used to enforce [residential land taxes] is predominantly water usage. We've seen people go around every couple of months and just turn the taps on for a day and then leave the house empty,' he said. Mr van den Lamb has consistently warned his followers against breaking into the properties he assigns them, claiming it was unnecessary. 'I've been doing this for a while and, most of the time, they just have either an open back door or an open window,' he said. 'I've never encouraged anyone to break in to a property and I still would never encourage that. That's not what this is about. 'This is about the thousands of empty properties that we have around this country and the far fewer people who don't have roofs over their head every night.' Mr van den Lamb said it was his understanding that trespassing required forced entry to a property, for example, breaking a window or kicking down a door. But legal experts told Daily Mail Australia otherwise. Andre Ong, principal at Sharrock Pitman lawyers, said Mr van den Lamb had 'misconstrued' the criminal and tortious elements of trespassing. 'In a civil society, you are supposed to respect other people's property rights. What is relevant is that you were there without consent or other lawful entitlement to be there,' he said. Special counsel in commercial litigation at Attwood Marshall Lawyers Jade Carlson agreed, adding the legal question is whether Mr van den Lamb himself could be held liable for any trespasses he may help to facilitate. Ms Carlson said only the registered owner could raise a trespassing claim, meaning if a home were truly abandoned the likelihood of legal action would be 'remote'. She added, however, the program raises 'inherent risks' that could raise 'significant' legal consequences. Mr Ong said a court may look beyond the activist's insistence against forcing entry to a property to any reasonably foreseeable misconduct arising from the trespass. Asked by Daily Mail Australia whether he feared any legal repercussions, Mr van den Lamb said: 'Not particularly, no. People are dying. Me having a fight with a cop isn't gonna change much. 'At the end of the day, I'm a young white man who's tertiary educated in this country, so I'm going to be fine compared to someone who's not from my demographic and is sleeping rough on the street.'
