7. Question No. 7—Social Development and EmploymentHon LOUISE UPSTON (National—Taupō) to the Minister for Social Development and EmploymentQuestion No. 7—Social Development and Employment7. Hon LOUISE UPSTON (National—Taupō) to the Minister for Social Development and Employment: Does she have confidence the Government is doing all it can to keep young people in emergency housing safe; if so why?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development and Employment): When we came into Government we inherited an emergency housing special needs grants and emergency housing process that virtually had no safeguards in place. During our time we have moved to ensure all that are receiving an emergency housing special needs grant are in active case management; we have housing brokers to support them into housing that is more sustainable secure and stable than emergency accommodation; we have set up navigators to support those in emergency accommodation with wraparound supports; we have set up a complaints process so the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) can receive and respond to any safety or suitability concerns; we have worked with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and councils to contract spaces in Rotorua to ensure people are appropriately cohorted and we are going to roll out this particular model to other parts of New Zealand where there are emergency housing hotspots. We don't want to see any New Zealanders requiring emergency accommodation but we inherited a housing crisis and whilst we have been building houses as quickly as possible there are still New Zealanders—including some young New Zealanders—requiring emergency housing support. Is there more to do? Yes and we are committed always to looking at ways to improve the supports that we have in place.Hon Louise Upston: How can she have confidence when a young woman staying in an emergency housing motel said on Newshub Nation I would feel terrified because my room that I'm currently in has been broken into so many times and I had to start putting my table and chair by the sliding and main doors."?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: No one would deem that acceptable and I saw that particular report myself and of course felt absolute empathy for that young woman. Hon Louise Upston: What did you do about it? What are you doing about it?SPEAKER: Order! The Hon Louise Upston knows how to address Ministers and it's not like that. She's been here for a very long time and should know better.Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: This is one of the reasons that we have put a complaints process in place so that people can come back to MSD if there are safety or suitability concerns of the emergency accommodation that they're in. In the last 12 weeks I think we have received about 40 complaints but I would encourage anyone that experiences that type of scenario to certainly get in touch with MSD. I would also say that where MSD absolutely accepts that they have a responsibility to work with people to ensure that they're in suitable and safe accommodation the motelier has a responsibility to ensure that those rooms are secure as well and our police also have a role to play a part when there is criminal activity that people are experiencing.Hon Louise Upston: How can she have confidence when a front-line worker said "We've had a lot of rangatahi … get exposed to sexual trauma" and "they haven't come into emergency housing with an addiction [but] they often leave with one."?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: Just to clarify I did see the report. It was a front-line Lifewise worker—and it's important to clarify—not an MSD case manager and I absolutely respect the work that Lifewise is doing with our young people particularly in the housing space. It is not acceptable—that is why we've put a complaints process in place and where we have social services and organisations like Lifewise who are working directly with vulnerable young people who have those experiences we hope that they would feel like the communication is there that they're able to contact MSD to actually inform them of these situations as well so we can work together to keep our young people safe.Hon Louise Upston: When will the Gang Intelligence Centre information start to keep people in emergency housing safe given MSD and Police only started working on emergency housing cooperation arrangements in May this year?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: I reiterate what I said in the House previously: none of the regional commissioners around the country have indicated that there has been an escalating presence or demand for emergency accommodation grants through MSD in recent months or the time that we have been in place. So the fact that the member keeps bringing this up I think unfortunately is more of an attempt to stigmatise those that are in emergency accommodation.Hon Louise Upston: Why did the Minister say just last month that "gangs taking up emergency accommodation is not a huge issue" when a front-line worker said "It's just intimidating for our rangatahi especially if they're not connected to any gang. Often they leave; they are then connected to a gang after they leave emergency housing."?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: As I said I respect the work that Lifewise are doing and it's important that we continue to work together to keep those in emergency accommodation safe and to improve the system where we can."