Ardern Jacinda: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeArdern Jacinda: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 26 September 2013. Volume:693;Page:13786. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]9.JACINDA ARDERN (Labour) to theMinister of Housing: How many children and young people are currently homeless as defined by Statistics New Zealand?Hon Dr NICK SMITH (Minister of Housing): There is no agreed definition of homelessness and by definition it is actually difficult to capture this data because the census is collected via people’s addresses. A recent analysis though by the University of Otago of the 2006 census data identifies 8500 people under 15 with severely inadequate housing the majority of which is overcrowded. I note that in the period 2001 to 2006 the number in this group grew significantly. In contrast this Government is investing $320 million on Project 324&5 which will reduce overcrowding which is the biggest group across these numbers.Jacinda Ardern: If he is on top of this issue and things really are getting better why has the Downtown Community Ministry had client numbers double each year since 2008 as hasLifewise in Auckland which is increasingly seeing young people and children without housing?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: I do not have specific information on the data from those specific organisations but I would note that the number of people on the Housing New Zealand waiting lists was 4300 in November and at the moment it is not too different from that. That suggests that this is something of another manufactured crisis by members opposite.Jacinda Ardern: On what—[Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! The level of noise is making it hard for me to hear the supplementary question.Jacinda Ardern: On what grounds does he believe Housing New Zealand waiting lists are a good measure of homelessness when he cut the list changed the criteria and does not even consider a boarding house to be homelessness for the purposes of Housing New Zealand?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: Can I firstly address the issue of the definition of homelessness. In the survey the member quotes it is referred to as “severely inadequate housing”. Sixty-five percent of those who are in that definition are in situations where there are too many adults and too many children in a household and I note that that number grew very significantly under the previous Government. The second issue is whether I would consider people who are staying for instance in cabins or in emergency accommodation as being homeless. I would give them the definition of being in emergency housing.Jacinda Ardern: Has the Minister for Social Development raised any concerns with him about young people’s access to housing given that 90 percent of young peopleLifewise is working with are children who are leaving Child Youth and Family care at 17 with nowhere to go?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: My colleague Paula Bennett and I have had extensive discussions firstly about the specific housing issues in west Auckland and secondly about the concerns she has around younger people and getting them into better quality housing. I simply say to members opposite: watch this space in terms of the huge investment of $2.7 billon—Hon Tony Ryall: How much?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: —$2.7 billion—the biggest investment ever in social housing which is taking place under this Government and was announced in this year’s Budget.Dr Megan Woods: Why more than 3 years after the first of the Christchurch earthquakes and after his own officials estimated that there are 7400 homeless people in the city has he stood by while organisations like the Young Women’s Christian Association of Aotearoa have full waiting lists and are turning women and children away and when the Christchurch City Mission has said it is extremely worried about the safety of children and that there is not enough happening?Hon Dr NICK SMITH: I do not accept that there are 7400 people in Christchurch without a roof over their heads. That is not true. It is true that there is a very large housing challenge in Christchurch. That is why we have settled with the insurance company and we are building a new house every single day in Christchurch. That is why we have built four temporary accommodation villages. That is why we have established the Canterbury Earthquake Temporary Accommodation Service. I could speak for over half an hour on what we are doing on housing in Christchurch.Mr SPEAKER: I can assure the member that that will not be occurring in question time.