9. Emergency Housing—Government Purchase and Motel UseCARMEL SEPULONI (Labour—Kelston) to the Minister for Social HousingEmergency Housing—Government Purchase and Motel Use9. CARMEL SEPULONI (Labour—Kelston) to the Minister for Social Housing: How many motels has the Government purchased for the purpose of emergency housing and how many other motels if any are they intending to purchase?Hon AMY ADAMS (Minister for Social Housing): As the member was told in answer to the same question on 29 June the Government has purchased four motels for transitional housing. There are two more that we are intending to purchase.Carmel Sepuloni: Is there a connection between the Government buying a motel in Gisborne where there has been the loss of 62 State houses; buying a motel in Hastings where there has been the loss of 14 State houses; or buying a motel in Napier where there has been the loss of 137 State houses?Hon AMY ADAMS: No. The transitional housing needs are quite different and where State houses have been sold it is because they have been in poor condition they have been in the wrong place or they have been the wrong configuration. The needs for transitional housing that have developed are quite different. Furthermore the purchases are by the Ministry of Social Development and the sales are by Housing New Zealand.Carmel Sepuloni: What is the total amount that the Government has given to motels in New Zealand for emergency accommodation in the last 3 years and how much of this could have been saved if it had not depleted the number of social houses around the country?Hon AMY ADAMS: If I understand the member's question correctly and she is asking the amount that we have spent on the new programme of emergency housing special-needs grants—which for the first time ever provide for short-term needs to make sure people are not sleeping in cars and the like as they were under Labour—from memory the number currently sits at around $34 million. That is what this Government is prepared to do to make sure people do have somewhere safe to sleep.Carmel Sepuloni: Does the Minister think that if her Government had acted faster in response to the housing crisis over the last 9 years the purchasing of motel accommodation to house an increasing number of homeless New Zealanders would still have been necessary?Hon AMY ADAMS: I think the member may be quite confused as to what we are talking about here. When we purchase motels it is not for emergency special-needs grant short-term placements. It is for creating a brand new class of housing called transitional housing which is not just about putting a roof over people's heads. It is about ensuring they have somewhere safe and secure to stay while they wait for a long-term placement and ensuring they have wraparound social services to support them. That has never been done before. This Government has added it into the social housing options and we are very proud of that.Carmel Sepuloni: Does the Minister think that the purchasing of motels for emergency accommodation on behalf of the New Zealand taxpayer has been good value for money?Hon AMY ADAMS: As I just mentioned in my last answer we have not purchased motels for emergency housing. We have purchased four for the purposes of providing up to 12 weeks of transitional support as part of our $354 million programme to support people in need of housing in a way that has never happened. I think the people of New Zealand are very pleased that this Government has made a commitment to support homeless people in a way that never happened under Labour where they frankly were happy to leave them sleeping in cars in parks on park benches and under trees.