Auckland Conversations

The number of people sleeping rough in Auckland’s city centre has more than doubled from 68 in 2013 to 177 in 2016. And this isn’t a problem confined to the city centre – it’s a significant issue across the Auckland region. New Zealanders pride ourselves on being caring and inclusive people. Having people sleeping rough in Auckland's city parks, under bridges, in shop entrances and back alleyways is unacceptable from a humanitarian and business perspective. As a society – government, local government, businesses, residents and community organisations – we can and must do more to urgently address this growing problem.Housing First is a homeless assistance approach that provides people experiencing homelessness with permanent housing as quickly as possible – and then providing connections to the community-based support services that people need in order to keep their housing and avoid returning to homelessness. Auckland Council is proud to be working with Heart of the City (link is external) and partnering wit