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 that every single recipient of the Emergency Housing Special Needs Grant is staying in safe and humane accommodation?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development and Employment): Noa'ia 'e Mḁuri. I'm confident that the vast majority in receipt of an emergency housing special needs grant are in appropriate and safe accommodation. But where people feel they aren't safe I do encourage them to contact the Ministry of Social Development (MSD). Hon Louise Upston: Is the reason she had to tell MSD in Rotorua let's stop using altogether" certain motels because after four years the Minister has failed to establish any processes to ensure motels are suitable for people to live in?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: I just want to remind that member that the emergency housing special needs grant was actually established under the previous National Government in response to a homelessness problem that had been largely ignored. Many of the developments that have taken place since that special needs grant was first established have seen improvements—improvements like a navigational service to support those in emergency accommodation to access other social supports they might need; housing brokers that we put in place that weren't in place previously to support people to be able to negotiate other housing to find other housing outside of emergency accommodation. It is not ideal having New Zealand families in emergency accommodation but it is a failure of previous Governments to invest in housing that has led us to this situation.Hon Louise Upston: Is the reason a mother with four children had to stay in a motel for eight months surrounded by gang members and violence because after four years she has failed to establish any process that would tell MSD who is staying where?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: The vast majority of people who are in emergency accommodation where they receive an emergency housing grant are actually able to move out of that emergency housing within six months. There are others that have more complex issues that make it harder to be able to put them in more secure housing. What I do acknowledge is that in some instances people have come forward and said that they don't think that the emergency accommodation that they are in is appropriate for them and that is where MSD will support them to move to something more suitable. I'll also note that recently there was a story on the Manners Street Wellington emergency housing motel. The people that were interviewed there said that it wasn't an issue with the people that were in the emergency accommodation. They felt safe. It was the people they saw out on the street who were not in accommodation.Hon Dr Megan Woods: Can the Minister confirm that officials from the Ministry of Social Development have been on the ground in Rotorua with fellow officials from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development officers from Rotorua Lakes District Council and representatives of iwi working on long-term solutions because we are part of the Government that is committed to finding solutions to homelessness?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: I can absolutely confirm that that is the case. As I said we inherited a housing problem. We need to ensure that all of the relevant Government agencies Ministers local government iwi are working together to ensure we have long-term solutions and that work is certainly happening.Hon Louise Upston: Can she provide an assurance to families who currently have nowhere to stay and might approach MSD that she will urgently implement a system that will prevent children from being put next to recently released prisoners and gang members?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: I can go further than that. I can assure people who go to MSD who are homeless and have nowhere else to stay that MSD under our watch will support them to get into emergency accommodation so that they don't need to live in their cars or on the streets.Hon Louise Upston: By what date will the Minister commit to stop putting children in motels?Hon CARMEL SEPULONI: As I've already said our Government takes the need to meet the housing demand in this country seriously. We only wish that previous Governments had spent time building houses instead of selling them off. So we are working at pace. We are committed to 18400 new public housing and transitional housing places within four years and that is a darn sight better than what the previous National Government did."