49841 (2025). Hon Kieran McAnulty to the Associate Minister of Housing

49841 (2025). Hon Kieran McAnulty to the Associate Minister of Housing: How many Emergency Housing Special Needs Grants did the Ministry of Social Development grant per month, if any, broken down by MSD office between September 2023 and September 2025?

Hon Tama Potaka: I refer the member to the attached table which provides the member with the number of grants and declines for emergency housing from 1 September 2023 to 30 September 2025 broken down by Work and Income office and month. The Ministry of Social Development (the Ministry) has also noted that if someone asks for help with housing, the Ministry will look at all their options to avoid homelessness. Emergency housing is a last resort. When people ask for help with emergency housing, staff test the availability of alternative accommodation options, to determine their eligibility for the Emergency Housing grant. The most common reason for declining a person’s application is because their need can be met in another way. This could include providing the person with financial assistance to help them sustain an existing tenancy, help with identifying and meeting the cost of a new rental property, or a referral to a transitional housing provider. Where someone has been declined emergency housing, they may be offered other forms of assistance such as: Housing Brokerage, Rental Readiness skills, the Accommodation Supplement and Housing Support Products. I am advised that the Ministry’s practice and data capture in respect of emergency housing declines has improved, with all applications now having the result recorded, providing greater transparency for clients; however, this makes it difficult to compare data before and after implementation of the new rules for entry into emergency housing. Emergency Housing is a last resort for those in genuine need. Where other, more suitable options such as Transitional Housing are available, people are expected to take up the option and may be declined emergency housing. In locations with strong supply of transitional housing, like Auckland, the Ministry would expect to see a higher proportion of clients declined emergency housing because alternative accommodation is available meaning their need can be met another way.