HOMELESS PEOPLE

Donna from Otaki District

What does this conjure up for you? Someone who is down and out, scruffy, sleeping rough. Teenagers kicked out of home or running away from abuse etc in their home. Drug users.
This is not who we are. Sound familiar.
Homeless people are families who cannot afford the rent so have several options.
* Share a house with others so the house is cramped . Yes there are families living with families in a three bedroom house. This means that a family is living in one bedroom but sharing kitchen, bathroom, living areas etc.
* They are sleeping in their car
* They have managed to find emergency accommodation and some of these people have been there for a year and no expectation of finding a place in the near future
* They are in transitional housing but are only there for 13 weeks. This may or may not be extended
* The family is broken up and spread around several houses so that the children have a bed and a
roof over their head
Homeless people are older ones who have had to move out of their rentals because the owner wants to put family members in there. Or raise the rent. Or need to do renovations to make the house a healthy home
There is bound to be other categories and reasons of homelessness. Being homeless has affected people of all ages from young to older people
Homeless people do not make a fuss because that would put what accommodation they have at risk. They live in substandard housing and do not say anything because again they put themselves at risk
But it is time we all made a stand and have our voices heard. There is no shame to being homeless.
9 times out of 10 it has been something completely out of your hands. Every New Zealander has the right to accommodation.
What are the basic human rights in NZ?
Social, cultural and economic rights include the right to participate in culture, the right to work, the right to an adequate standard of living ..........
The rate of homelessness is rising while accommodation is not getting any better but worse as landlords sell off their rentals and no homes like we used to have such as State Housing.

ITS TIME WE ALL SPOKE UP AND MADE A STAND TO STOP THIS CONTINUING.

Watch this space, more is to come

From the

www.newsroom.co.nz...