8. Question No. 8—HousingTAMATHA PAUL (Green—Wellington Central) to the Associate Minister of HousingQuestion No. 8—Housing8. TAMATHA PAUL (Green—Wellington Central) to the Associate Minister of Housing: Why has the Government restricted eligibility for emergency housing despite the Ministry of Social Development's advice that Making these changes now creates a risk of increased levels of homelessness"?Hon TAMA POTAKA (Associate Minister of Housing): This Government is very clear that households who have a genuine need for a short-term stay in temporary accommodation in emergency housing will be supported. And the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) has raised concerns early on in the process around the potential for homelessness. However I'm not advised of any substantiated reports of increased homelessness. What I am advised on however is that as a result of the decisions that this Government has made around prioritising children to go into emergency housing 1110 kids have moved from emergency housing into warm safe dry homes between April and the end of July. Kia ora koutou.Tamatha Paul: Supplementary. [Interruption]SPEAKER: Just wait for the House to resume silence. [Interruption] Sorry—just a bit order for goodness' sake! Far too much noise coming from the Government side. Tamatha Paul: Does he stand by his statement relating to the drop in children living in emergency accommodation "I'm not worried that some are now homeless." and if so is that why funding for community housing providers has reduced to only 750 new places a year under his Government?Hon TAMA POTAKA: In the context in which the question was asked and in relation to Priority One I am absolutely confident that those 1110 children have been placed out of emergency housing and into a warm safe dry home between April and July. I am confident and very aware that they are no longer homeless because the decisions that this Government has made has ensured that they go into warm safe dry homes.Tamatha Paul: Where does he expect people to go if they are denied or kicked out of emergency accommodation?Hon TAMA POTAKA: Thank you for that question. Those whānau those households with genuine need for a short-term stay in emergency housing will be supported into housing. Those whānau who leave emergency housing are either supported into social housing or accommodation supplement private housing or other areas of housing. Now when we arrived in Government we found that the data did not show where over 50 percent of people exiting emergency housing had gone to. But as a result of the hard-working members of our team we now know where nearly 80 percent of all those that exit emergency housing go to including the 1110 children who have gone from emergency housing into warm safe dry homes.Tamatha Paul: Why does the Government think it's fine for whānau to be left sleeping on the streets or in cars because they had contributed to their homelessness and how is leaving someone on the street or in their car ever a just or acceptable response from an agency who should be there to help?Hon TAMA POTAKA: There are a lot of whānau across Aotearoa New Zealand that are doing it very tough. Last week I was up in Tauranga and I met a young lady who'd spent six years in emergency housing had four children while she was in emergency housing and as a result of the Priority One decision that has been made by this Government got a call in May to say that she had a home available. She moved into that home—was shocked to get the call but is very happy very warm and very safe in that home.Tamatha Paul: Why has he removed the requirement for MSD to grant emergency accommodation if declining would increase any risk to life or welfare of the applicant and is he comfortable with the consequences this will have for homeless people their wellbeing and their lives?Hon TAMA POTAKA: Can I repeat for the fourth time today those people who have a genuine need for short-term stay in emergency housing will be supported and there is capacity in all the major centres such as Wellington for those people who have that genuine need. Kia ora tātou.Tamatha Paul: Will his new responsibility framework for emergency accommodation include the Government taking responsibility for fuelling a homelessness crisis when they have stopped building thousands of new public homes and are celebrating evicting more people from public housing and private rental housing?Hon TAMA POTAKA: Again can I repeat when we arrived in Government we did not know where over 50 percent of people leaving emergency housing were going to. Now we know around 80 percent where they're leaving to go to. We are very proud of the efforts that we have undertaken to get emergency housing back on track. Kia ora tātou."