Latest news with #homelessness
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- RNZ News
Opposition slams Kāinga Ora decision to scrap public housing builds
Labour's Kieran McAnulty said cancelling the builds made no sense, with homelessness rising. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty has condemned the government's decision to halt thousands of planned state-housing builds. State housing provider Kāinga Ora has scrapped hundreds of developments that would have delivered nearly 3500 homes and will sell a fifth of its vacant land. The agency says the move will save up to $220 million. McAnulty said it made no sense to cancel these builds, while homelessness was rising. He said the housing crisis in New Zealand continued to worsen and this was a time the government should build more Kāinga Ora homes. "Homelessness is increasing at unprecedented levels and 15,000 construction worker have lost their jobs since this government came in," said McAnulty. "People will see this for exactly what it is - the National Party willing to promise all sorts to get elected, with no intention of following up. "Nicola Willis pledged a 1000 per year net increase in social housing in Auckland, but they're not going to do that. The only way they do that is if they count the houses the previous government funded. "Chris Bishop and Tama Potaka said they would build more houses than the previous Labour government - that would have been a decades-long record. Now they're selling houses and going backwards in some regions." Green Party housing spokesperson Tabitha Paul claimed the cost of not housing people was far higher than providing the housing they needed. "We know the wait list for public housing across the country is really high and homelessness is increase, because we're seeing it more on our streets," she said. "Kāinga Ora taking the narrow view that this might save them a few dollars will cost them more in their health fees, their justice fees and all the other ways the housing crisis manifests, when people are not properly housed." Housing Minister Chris Bishop ordered Kāinga Ora to deliver a turnaround plan that would ensure financial sustainability. The agency's plan will see it refocus as a landlord, rather than a developer, and the number of houses it owned would stabilise from 2026. Chief executive Matt Crockett said Kāinga Ora reviewed more than 460 social housing projects to ensure it was getting the best value for money and supplying houses in the areas of greatest need. "These reviews were essential to ensuring we only progress new housing projects that make commercial sense and that we sell land which is surplus to our requirements, so we can get on a more financially sustainable footing,'' he said. "Our reviews have highlighted an abnormally high number of projects and land holdings that no longer make sense for Kāinga Ora, if we want to get ourselves in a better financial position." The agency decided 212 projects that would have delivered 3479 homes would not proceed, because they did not stack up financially or were in the wrong locations. Another 254 projects would continue, building more than 1800 new homes. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- General
- CTV News
$552,000 given to help local homeless youth
A $552,000 Grow Grant has been given to the Windsor Residence for Young Men (WRYM) by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The funding will help WRYM expand critical services, further supporting youth who are at risk-of or that are experiencing homelessness. The WRYM said it will continue to build on its System Navigation pilot project, which is an initiative that prepares youth in crisis with necessary life skills and support to gain economic independence and housing stability. Windsor Residence for Young Men grant Officials seen at the grant announcement for the Windsor Residence for Young Men in Windsor, Ont. on June 19, 2025. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor) 'Windsor-Essex is home to many incredible services, but for youth in crisis, simply finding and accessing these supports can feel overwhelming or impossible,' said Jason Weinberg, executive director of WRYM. 'When you're facing homelessness, navigating complex eligibility rules, referral systems, waitlists, and transportation barriers can be a challenge that stops before you even begin. This funding allows us to break down those barriers. We're not just pointing young people in the right direction, we're walking alongside them, ensuring they get the right help, from the right places, at the right time.' WRYM will keep offering intensive case management within its housing programs over the next three years, while essential services are expanded. In the first two years of the pilot, more than 50 homeless youth were helped, securing long-term housing when they left the program.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Montreal transit agency reinstates "move along" rule to boost sense of security
MONTREAL — Montreal's public transit agency has reintroduced a no-loitering rule in the city's subway tunnels. The Société de transport de Montréal says the measure helped decrease assaults on staff and increased users' sense of security when it was implemented as a pilot project earlier this year. Transit officials have expressed concern over the number of people struggling with drug addiction and mental illness who use the metro stations as unofficial shelters. They announced in March they would fence off problematic gathering places and implement a "move along" policy for a six-week period. The announcement was criticized by advocates who said people who are homeless have nowhere else to go. But the agency says the measures had positive effects on safety and has reinstated them until April 30, 2026. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025. The Canadian Press Sign in to access your portfolio
CBS News
9 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Construction begins on $5.5 million veteran housing project in Eagan
With a ceremonial turn of soil on Wednesday, construction of Veteran Village in Eagan, Minnesota, is officially underway. The $5.5 million project, made possible by the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV), Housing First Minnesota, Lennar Homes and several other contributors, will bring 22 homes to house 36 veterans and their families. "These homes are more than just a roof with four walls," Sofia Humphries, Senior Director of Community Impact for Housing First Minnesota, said. "They represent safety, support and a new beginning." The first-of-its-kind project aims to support and honor our nation's heroes by taking care of the most essential of needs. "You need to know where you are going to lay your head at night, rest and recover to be able to take on the day," Humphries said. MACV's Chief Operating Officer Jon Lovald says in order for veterans to address other life challenges, they need to have the security that a home provides. "Your ability to work on anything else that's going on in your life revolves around having a roof over your head," Lovald said. On average, around 600 veterans enter homelessness each year in Minnesota, making projects like this even more crucial. "Twenty-two units coming online in the year is going to make a huge dent in our ability to continue outpacing veterans who enter homelessness," Lovald said. Construction on the final unit is expected to wrap up in November. For those involved in the build, the homes represent something much bigger. "We're celebrating a shared belief that every veteran in our state deserves safety, dignity, and a place to call home," Lovald said. It's a new community, driven by a mission to serve those who once served us.
CTV News
9 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Notre-Dame encampment cannot be dismantled for 10 days, rules Quebec judge
A tent, trash and belongings at a homeless encampment on Notre-Dame street in the east end of Montreal, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. The City of Montreal voted against declaring a state of emergency on homelessness on Nov. 18, 2024. (Graham Hughes / The Canadian Press) The encampment on Notre-Dame Street in Montreal cannot be dismantled for the next 10 days, a Quebec Superior Court judge ruled on Wednesday. In his decision, Judge Babak Barin ordered Quebec's Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility (MTQ) to temporarily 'cease all efforts to evict homeless people living along Notre-Dame Street East.' This comes after the MTQ posted notices on June 5, 'on trees and tents belonging to some 30 marginalized and vulnerable people in Montreal' without prior warning, according to court documents. The messages warned that an eviction and complete cleaning of the area would be carried out by June 10. 'We invite you to gather your personal belongings and leave the site,' the directives stated. 'Please note that after this date, any items left behind will be discarded without further notice.' In response, the Clinique juridique itinérante (CJI) filed an emergency motion to prevent the dismantling, arguing that it would cause serious harm to the campers. It also pointed out that with shelters overflowing, the people would have nowhere to go. Contrarily, lawyers for the City of Montreal and the MTQ stressed that they were concerned about safety, including the accumulation of large structures on the site, like tents, and the frequency of police and firefighter interventions. The Superior Court judge ruled in favour of the CJI and approved the temporary injunction.
