How do we see homelessness? Being homeless is like being a ship in a raging storm battered from wave to wave. All you want is to find a safe cove to shelter from the storm. Compounding factors contribute to someone becoming homeless, including low incomes, high rents, health problems, problematic relationships, the effects of traumatic experiences, inadequate supply of new housing, a lack of affordable housing and government policies. By the time whānau arrive on our doorstep, they have exhausted all other avenues of support, they are deeply worn out from transient living and many have complex needs. Many feel overwhelmed by constant uncertainty and worry; the struggle

of trying to look after themselves and raise their children, unattended and often preventable health needs, disrupted whānau relationships and/ or inadequate social support. Some are battling addictions or living with the deeply traumatic effects of domestic violence or sexual abuse. Others may be negotiating serious psychological disorders. Some hard-working whānau on low incomes cannot afford market rents and come to us because they need safe shelter and advocacy support. They are desperate to escape the stress and health risks of living in a damp garage, their car or crowded living conditions. At a macro-level, according to a recent government-commissioned New Zealand Housing Stocktake Report (Johnson, Howden-Chapman and Eaqub, 2018), government policies over recent years have contributed to housing shortages, declining homeownership rates, greater housing instability, increasing levels of housing- related poverty, and an inadequate response to increasing homelessness. Auckland’s housing shortage has been pegged at around 45,000 units but this figure may still not accurately represent the situation. Private rentals tend to be of a poorer quality and tenancies more uncertain than home ownership. Māori and Pacific peoples, in particular, are more likely to live in poor quality housing.