Security issues, including behaviour of security staff In some cases, people told us there was no protection for residents; either there was no security onsite, or even where there was security staff onsite they did not feel adequately protected. Some people were also concerned that Corrections had placed people on parole in the same emergency or transitional housing complex, without sufficiently managing the risks or considering the vulnerabilities of other residents. “No security guards on site, no Corrections coming in … There was a lot of abuse, fights, parties. There was no support for people, they put all these vulnerable people with different complex needs in the same place. Tamariki, elderly people, families, living next to lots of Corrections clients and lots of men who don’t have social skills or anywhere else to live. Emergency housing was very scary.” [Former resident in emergency accommodation] We also heard from other people who felt the security was too intrusive or made them feel like prisoners in their emergency housing. Some people shared concerns that security guards did not always behave appropriately towards residents and did not respect residents’ privacy. “I was made to feel like a number… It felt like living in an incarceration model with CCTV cameras, restricting visiting hours and security manned services… You feel treated like a prisoner in a correctional facility by their security contractor.” [Former resident of both emergency and then transitional housing] “Some security guards are good… but younger ones try to abuse their power, especially with young mothers.” [Former resident of emergency accommodation] Many emergency and transitional accommodation complexes exacerbate or create new social issues We heard that in the worst cases, emergency housing environments can exacerbate existing issues, or expose people and families to new issues such as violence and access to illicit drugs. “Drugs and crime were rampant and there were gang issues on the streets. Our clients were getting into drug debt and violence because of the gang connections inside the emergency accommodation [and the availability of drugs within the accommodation].” [Former transitional housing provider] Advocates and providers we spoke to repeatedly acknowledged the issues that were more likely to happen when people are put in a ‘pressure cooker’ environment without enough personal space, privacy, support, or control over their circumstances. In their view, these problems are particularly bad in motel complexes, both those providing emergency accommodation and transitional housing. “Clients in mental health or addiction crisis do often cause damage to their rooms [but what you have to take into account is] these are rooms with absolutely terrible habitability. A small room and terrible living environment will exacerbate mental health issues.” [Former transitional housing provider] Some providers acknowledged the further difficulties in appropriately housing clients with particularly complex needs, which may include gang membership or connections, active addiction, or severe mental health issues. They stressed that you cannot just put everyone together and expect nothing to go wrong. 27