1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,160 Speaker 1: Morgan news as the government appears to be able to 2 00:00:02,200 --> 00:00:04,640 Speaker 1: make major in roads into emergency housing, so this was 3 00:00:04,680 --> 00:00:07,000 Speaker 1: a priority one policy for them. Of course, nearly one 4 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:10,600 Speaker 1: thousand families, that's more than twenty one hundred kids out 5 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:13,160 Speaker 1: of emergency housing. We only have five hundred nineteen children 6 00:00:13,240 --> 00:00:15,440 Speaker 1: left in emergency housing now compared with more than thirty 7 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 1: three hundred in April of last year. The Housing Minister 8 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:20,000 Speaker 1: Chris Bishop's back with this very good morning to you. 9 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:21,280 Speaker 2: Good morning. 10 00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 1: So just for numbers, thirty seven percent into social housing, 11 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:27,080 Speaker 1: twenty nine transitional, nineteen for private fourteen didn't need any 12 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:31,360 Speaker 1: help at all. What's the magic that the previous government 13 00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:34,120 Speaker 1: had thousands queuing up and it was a disaster in 14 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:37,239 Speaker 1: motels and places like Roharua. A year and a half on, 15 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:39,400 Speaker 1: we're well on our way to solving it. 16 00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:42,519 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it's great news. We're really proud of that. 17 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:44,240 Speaker 2: There's a few things going on. I mean the first 18 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:47,080 Speaker 2: is that we adopted a policy very quickly upon coming 19 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:49,760 Speaker 2: to government which said if you're on the social housing 20 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 2: weightlist and you've been in emergency housing for twelve weeks 21 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:55,680 Speaker 2: or longer and you've got kids, you go straight to 22 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:57,600 Speaker 2: the top of the weitlist, which means that Coying or 23 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 2: AURA and the community housing sector can take you out 24 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:02,600 Speaker 2: of that motel and you get the first preference essentially 25 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:05,440 Speaker 2: to get into a social house. That's made an enormous difference. 26 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 2: And we just took a simple view that if you've 27 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:10,040 Speaker 2: been in a stuck an emergency housing in a motel, 28 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:13,600 Speaker 2: these grotty little motel rooms around the country, and you've 29 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:15,320 Speaker 2: got to remember three years ago, unto labor, at one 30 00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 2: point we had over four thousand families living permanently basically 31 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:20,720 Speaker 2: in these motels. We just took the view that you 32 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:23,960 Speaker 2: were absolutely priority number one. No one wants children growing 33 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:25,840 Speaker 2: up in these motel rooms. I mean I've visited some 34 00:01:25,880 --> 00:01:28,280 Speaker 2: of them in my lecturate and other MPs that have 35 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:30,600 Speaker 2: done the same thing. I mean you sometimes had, you know, 36 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:33,200 Speaker 2: a mum and three kids, two kids living in a 37 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 2: one bedroom studio. You know, no, no, no, no place 38 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:39,399 Speaker 2: to bring up a child. You know every ie missed 39 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:40,119 Speaker 2: and would agree with that. 40 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:43,040 Speaker 1: So take that view, and why couldn't I mean, I 41 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:44,680 Speaker 1: don't want to turn this into a political thing, but 42 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 1: why it's just a view you're talking you did something 43 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 1: about it? Why couldn't Labor see the same thing and 44 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:49,200 Speaker 1: do something about it. 45 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 2: Then, well, I do find it baffling, to be honest, 46 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:54,120 Speaker 2: because you know, I just take the simple view that 47 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 2: no one wants kids growing up in motel rooms, and 48 00:01:55,880 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 2: you've got to do whatever it takes and spin whatever 49 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:01,080 Speaker 2: it takes to do that. So we adopted policy. We've 50 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 2: also made emergency housing we've reset it back to how 51 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:05,800 Speaker 2: it originally started. You've got to remember when Paula Bennet 52 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 2: introduced it all those years ago, back in twenty sixteen. 53 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:10,040 Speaker 2: It was meant to be a last resort, you know, 54 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:12,360 Speaker 2: three or four days to tide someone over or family 55 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:15,080 Speaker 2: over while they got there back on their feet and 56 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:18,560 Speaker 2: got some support around them. Under Labor, unfortunately, and again 57 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 2: it's been too political about it, so they just handed 58 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 2: out these emergency housing vouchers like confetti, and it became 59 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:27,600 Speaker 2: extremely easy. It became a permanent, institutionalized part of the 60 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:31,079 Speaker 2: MSD social support system, which it was never intended to do. 61 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:33,880 Speaker 2: So we've reset that as well. So we've made it 62 00:02:33,919 --> 00:02:36,680 Speaker 2: easier to get out of emergency housing, and we've made 63 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:38,959 Speaker 2: sure emergency housing itself goes back to what it was 64 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 2: originally intended for good. 65 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:42,120 Speaker 1: So are you at the crunchy end of this now? 66 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:44,360 Speaker 1: Have you got the low hanging fruit so to speak, 67 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:46,440 Speaker 1: and it gets difficult or is this going to be 68 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:48,720 Speaker 1: a solved problem. 69 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 2: That's what the officials tell us is that none of 70 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 2: these cases are easy, but in terms of people who 71 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:57,200 Speaker 2: are clearly in need, who we can move into a house, 72 00:02:57,520 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 2: and we're also wrapping a bit of support around them, 73 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:01,000 Speaker 2: because it's all we want to move into a house, 74 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:02,799 Speaker 2: but you need help with you know, how to pay 75 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:04,519 Speaker 2: the rent, to look after the place. So we're wrapping 76 00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:07,880 Speaker 2: support around people as well. There's about five hundred families 77 00:03:07,919 --> 00:03:11,960 Speaker 2: left in an emergency around the country. The rot story 78 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:13,920 Speaker 2: is already success through by the way, we're closing the 79 00:03:13,919 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 2: motels that they've been using a rote aura as well. 80 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:19,040 Speaker 2: So it's about five hundred families left. We've got some 81 00:03:20,520 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 2: increased intervention support available for them. Some of those people, 82 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:29,160 Speaker 2: when those families are have pretty challenging backgrounds and pretty 83 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:31,840 Speaker 2: challenging circumstances, but we're doing what we can and what 84 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:33,359 Speaker 2: it takes to try and get them out as well. 85 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 1: Okay, fifteen seconds for all the Texters. They're all in 86 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:39,360 Speaker 1: their cars and they're all on the streets and this 87 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 1: is a scam. 88 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 2: It's completely incorrect. That's the facts show that these people 89 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:49,360 Speaker 2: are moving into social houses, transitional housing and private rentals 90 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:51,560 Speaker 2: as well. That's what the facts show. And I'm really 91 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:52,360 Speaker 2: proud of our record. 92 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: Good only appreciate it. Chris Bishop, the Housing Minister. I 93 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 1: got to get them back because I've been fascinated with 94 00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:00,640 Speaker 1: the christ Church thing, so intensification. Christ battle with them 95 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:03,440 Speaker 1: for the last several years. They lost that battle. They 96 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:05,720 Speaker 1: had a plan. Bushop looked at it said you're not 97 00:04:05,760 --> 00:04:07,600 Speaker 1: doing it. So at some point I want to talk 98 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:10,600 Speaker 1: to them about that. For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, 99 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:14,080 Speaker 1: listen live to news Talks a'd Be from six am weekdays, 100 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:16,360 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.