Ministry statements on emergency housing and homelessness in the Waikato
Ministry of Social Development statement · Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport statement
Ministry of Social Development statement
The following statement was provided by the Ministry of Social Development (MSD).
The Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport (MCERT – formerly MHUD) leads the overall Government programme of work to respond to homelessness.
MSD is part of this work and we regularly support rough sleepers, where they are willing to work with us.
We are working with our community partners to ensure we are connecting rough sleepers with the right support.
In Hamilton, our staff work closely with providers The People’s Project, Te Whare Korowai Taangata o Kirikiriroa and other partners, to ensure rough sleepers can be assessed for income support, social housing, and provide them with referrals to other housing options.
We encourage anyone in immediate housing need to get in touch with us to see what support might be available.
There are many ways we can help. This can look like immediate support to help people to stay in their current accommodation, for example helping with rent arrears if they are behind with their rent payments. We can also help people on their search for new accommodation, for example with bond in advance payments.
Where possible, MSD will look to refer people with an urgent housing need to suitable transitional housing or Housing First placements.
These types of accommodation are funded by MCERT and generally provide more support than is available to someone in emergency housing.
Emergency housing is a last resort but continues to be available in Waikato, and around the country, for people who are eligible and have no other options.
Published information on emergency housing and social housing
We regularly publish data on Emergency Housing Grants and the Social Housing Register.
The latest available data for this is for the month ending in August 2026:
In August 2026, 120 recipients of Emergency Housing Grants had Waikato [MSD region] recorded as their location.
In that same month, there were 1,461 people on the Social Housing Register with Waikato [MSD region] recorded as their location. In August 2025, this was 1,626. Statistics from previous years are also available through the MSD website’s Monthly Housing Update Reporting Archive.
MSD maintains the Social Housing Register, which records the need for social housing in New Zealand.
What are the primary reasons people in the Waikato are seeking emergency housing?
People approach us when they are in need of housing assistance. Each person’s situation will be different.
Some people’s needs may be better met with other types of housing support, including financial support to stay in their current place or help to find and secure new accommodation. We can help people with their accommodation needs in many ways.
See more on the Work and Income website.
Emergency housing support remains available for eligible people, as a last resort when they can’t stay where they are or have nowhere else to go.
See more on the Work and Income website.
What are the main barriers MSD is seeing to people moving from emergency accommodation into permanent housing?
Emergency housing is intended to be short-term accommodation. People staying in emergency housing have a responsibility to look for other housing options, with various services available to support their search. This can look like support from a housing broker or navigator, or budget or employment advisors.
Find out more about emergency housing responsibilities.
Are there circumstances in which someone may be ineligible for financial assistance despite experiencing significant housing or financial hardship?
In some cases, a person may not be eligible for emergency housing if their housing need is a result of their own actions or they are considered to have contributed to their immediate need. This would be considered on a case-by-case basis, depending on the person’s circumstances.
See the eligibility criteria for emergency housing.
Does MSD currently support or offer any funding for doctor-approved, legal medical cannabis use? If so, would this impact eligibility to accessing emergency accommodation via MSD? Are there any options that MSD may consider for those relying on legal medical cannabis to obtain support financially?
We would like to understand more about this person’s situation before we commented. We would be happy to do that with their permission via a privacy waiver.
For more information on non-subsidised pharmaceuticals, see the Work and Income information page.
Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport statement
What support is available for people experiencing homelessness who also have mental-health, addiction, disability or criminal-justice issues?
Homelessness is a complex issue influenced by a range of factors, including housing supply, affordability, personal circumstances and support needs. Increasing housing supply and ensuring people can access stable, long-term housing remains a key focus of the Government’s housing programme.
The Government’s approach is to prevent homelessness and support people into stable housing through a range of services. These programmes are designed to support people into housing and provide longer-term outcomes:
- Housing First provides support for people experiencing chronic homelessness (people who have been rough sleeping or sleeping in other places not intended for habitation for at least 12 months over the past three years) who require high levels of support, to access and remain in stable housing.
- Rapid Rehousing works on Housing First principles but is targeted to people who have been experiencing homelessness for less than 12 months and/or whose support needs are not as high or complex.
- Sustaining tenancies provides support to people at risk of losing their tenancies in either social or private rental housing, aiming to prevent a loss of tenancy, or if the tenancy is lost, to help achieve a new tenancy.
- Outreach provides support for people experiencing homelessness, particularly people who are sleeping rough or sleeping in other uninhabitable places, to help connect them with housing and wider social and health services.
- Rangatahi supported accommodation provides interim housing and youth-focused support services for young people aged 16–25 with significant (re)integration needs.
- Transitional housing provides interim housing and social services that support households to access and move into stable housing.
In addition, emergency housing remains available for people who meet the criteria and have a genuine need for immediate accommodation.
Does MCERT consider the current level of emergency and transitional housing capacity in Hamilton and the wider Waikato sufficient?
The Government is committed to ensuring options are available for people living without shelter. Factors such as an individual’s circumstances, location, service capacity, and the real-time availability of suitable accommodation and support all have an impact. Our focus is on working with providers who understand this and can support people with their immediate needs and provide the longer-term housing and support needed to achieve stable housing outcomes.
That is why we have provided additional funding over the past year to support people sleeping rough, including outreach services, transitional housing and additional social homes for people in the Housing First programme. Of the 300 additional Housing First social homes the Government provided additional funding for last year, 31 are in Hamilton. As well as the additional Housing First social homes, the Government announced $10 million for outreach and other support services, $1.5 million of this was for services in Hamilton.
In 2026, the Government announced further funding to continue outreach and other support services, with a focus on people who are sleeping rough and those that are chronically homeless. $1.89 million of this funding was for Hamilton.
What additional measures does MCERT believe are required to reduce homelessness in the Waikato?
There has been an increase in social and transitional housing places available in the Waikato region over the past few years. As at 31 August:
- There are 6,246 social homes (an increase of 929 places compared to November 2023).
- There are 609 contracted transitional housing places in the region (an increase of 78 since November 2023).
- There has also been targeted investment into additional social housing for the Waikato region through Budget 2024 and 2025. Through Budget 2024, a further 211 social housing places will be delivered in the Waikato region. We also expect to deliver an additional 50 homes in Hamilton, through the Budget 2025 allocation for the Flexible Fund.
Longer term, there is a need for a change in our housing and housing support system response. Our social housing system is not working effectively enough for the very people it is designed to help. The Government is addressing this through its Review of Social Housing.
Further information: