68 16 The proposal to change this policy outlined that the increased period for the housing grant should be “at the discretion of MSD” and only in cases where clients are receiving additional wraparound support in the form of intensive case management and contracted navigators. (MSD and HUD, “Contingency bid – Emergency Housing Special Needs Grant”.) This has now been reflected in MSD policy: see the Guide to Social Development Policy, “Longer grant periods for Special Needs Grants for emergency housing”, workandincome.govt.nz, https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/map/income-support/extra-help/special-needs-grant/longer-grantperiods-for-special-needs-grants-for-emergency-housing.html. 17 DPMC, “Report: Emergency and Transitional Housing”, at paragraph 18 Table 1. 18 Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, “Public Housing Quarterly Report”, June 2022. https://www. hud.govt.nz/documents/public-housing-quarterly-report-june-2022/. 19 DPMC, Report: Emergency and Transitional Housing, at paragraph 15. 20 Residential Tenancies Amendment Bill: Officials’ Report to the Social Services and Community Committee, May 2020. https://www. parliament.nz/resource/en-NZ/52SCSS_ADV_94841_SS7991/b14687440e56fb4245f7575b5be5462befca1dbb, at para 517. 21 Ministry of Social Development Te Manatū Whakahiato Ora, “Monthly housing update October 2022” https://www.msd.govt.nz/ documents/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/statistics/housing/monthly-housing-update/2022/monthly-housingupdate-october-2022.pdf. 22 Ministry of Social Development Te Manatū Whakahiato Ora, “Transitional Housing”, msd.govt.nz, July 2017. https://www.msd.govt. nz/documents/about-msd-and-our-work/work-programmes/social-housing/transitional-housing-fact-sheet.pdf 23 Ministry of Social Development, “Transitional Housing.” 24 Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Operational Guidelines for Providers of Transitional Housing, 2021. https://www.hud.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Documents/Transitional-Housing-Guidelines-2021.pdf. 25 Operational Guidelines for Providers of Transitional Housing. 26 This policy direction is signalled in Budget 2022 initiatives: Contracted Emergency Housing (Rotorua Response) https://www.hud.govt. nz/assets/Uploads/Documents/Contracted-Emergency-Housing-Rotorua-Response-Budget-template-Redacted.pdf and Public and Transitional Housing – Maintaining and Increasing Public, Transitional and COVID-19 housing supply https://www.hud.govt.nz/assets/ Uploads/Documents/Public-and-Transitional-Housing-Budget-template-Redacted.pdf. 27 Maintaining and Increasing Public, Transitional, and COVID-19 housing supply, at page 6. 28 Operational Guidelines for Providers of Transitional Housing. 29 Michelle Cooke, “Data reveals hundreds living in transitional housing for months on end”, stuff.co.nz (originally published on rnz.co.nz), August 3, 2021. https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300372765/data-reveals-hundreds-living-in-transitional-housing-for-months-onend. 30 Although there is no specific youth homelessness strategy, agencies do have a youth-focused work programme and a youth transitional housing service. The Associate Minister of Housing (Homelessness) announced in June 2022 that through Budget 2022 $40 million is being invested to support young people through the HAP. This is implemented through a specific rangatahi focused workstream – see Hon Marama Davidson “Investing in youth homelessness”, beehive.govt.nz, 13, June 2022. https://www.beehive. govt.nz/release/investing-address-youth-homelessness. 31 David MacKenzie, Tammy Hand, Adam Dean, Early intervention strategies to prevent youth homelessness, October 2020. https://aifs. gov.au/resources/short-articles/early-intervention-strategies-prevent-youth-homelessness#footnote-0027-backlink. 32 MSD has the ability to immediately remove a client from the register if the client declines a public housing property without “a good and sufficient reason”, but its own staff guidance includes factors such as being too far away from school or employment when assessing reasons clients have declined accommodation. See the Guide to Social Development Policy, “Examples of good and sufficient reasons for declining a social housing policy”, workandincome.govt.nz, https://www.workandincome.govt.nz/map/socialhousing/register-management-and-referrals/examples-of-good-and-sufficient-reasons-for-declining.html. 33 We note that some transitional housing providers choose to provide financial literacy support services for whānau. For example, Te Puea Memorial Marae has a budget advisor onsite at the marae to support whānau, along with social workers and other social services. 34 MSD estimates that this assessment usually takes an hour due to the length of the application, the types of questions, and the assessments that are undertaken. 35 MSD advises that it downgrades a priority rating if it is deemed appropriate based on the client’s circumstances, or if information has been provided that suggests the housing need is not as urgent as the priority rating assigned. If a client has had a change in circumstances that is likely to affect or alter their priority rating, housing needs, or rate of indicative income-related rent, their application must be reviewed and the client must be advised if the outcome of the review changes their priority rating or housing needs. See the Guide to Social Development Policy, “Reviewing clients on the register”, workandincome.govt.nz, https://www. workandincome.govt.nz/map/social-housing/register-management-and-referrals/reviewing-clients-on-the-register.html. 36 Human rights indicators: A guide to measurement and implementation, OHCHR, UN, 2012. 37 “Thus, for example, a State party in which any significant number of individuals is deprived of … basic shelter and housing, … is, prima facie, failing to discharge its obligations under [international human rights law]. If [international human rights law] … were to be read in such a way as not to establish such a minimum core obligation, it would be largely deprived of its raison d’être.” General Comment 3, UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, in E/1991/23. Human Rights Commission