Tag: homlessness

By B-May

The first experience that required deep reflection of my attitudes toward homelessness was the time we had a new neighbour on our safe street of Remuera, the resident living in her car. I was bewildered by her arrival and slightly annoyed by her presence until I got to know her from afar. The more time she spent on the street, I understood her reality, the mundane routine that was exposed through the car window. On the winter mornings, she would leave early and return late at night, she could be seen illuminated through frost and street lights trying to stay warm through the bitter evenings. One day she was gone, and that moment taught me that homelessness is not a definition confined to living on the street. Homelessness is a social issue that we are all able to see, and those who face homelessness cannot hide their struggles or private lives.

Homelessness in New Zealand has existed since colonisation in the mid 1800s (New Zealand Parliament, 2014) and continue to grow through the development of urbanisation, globalisation and neoliberal ideologies. More recently, with the development of privatisation, gentrification and the ‘housing crisis’, New Zealand has been an increase in the population facing homelessness. Statistics estimated in 2013, there were around 41,000 homeless New Zealanders (Amore, 2016) and since has been a steady increase. It comes to no surprise that those who are over-represented facing social exclusion, those being Māori, Pasifika, LGBT and those with mental health issues or have a disability face homelessness (Housing First, 2018).

The exposure of homeless persons in the New Zealand media is not a new development, and such bigoted attitudes, such as the Otago Daily Times (1864) describing homeless people as of “ill health, filth and crime…the evil is allowed to quietly fester and accumulate” (p.4)(4) . More recently, in a report by Stuff, Amanda Saxton (2018)(5) ‘took to the streets’ of a West Auckland park to get a first-hand account of how the homeless individuals live. Using the prime opportunity to advocate for the marginalised and give exposure on the issue of homelessness, a prejudicial and subjective description was used

On these mornings, the homeless emerge sluggishly from beneath their bridge. If none show, a cop gets dispatched like a harried heading dog to muster anyone fit to play. He’ll return empty-handed if everyone down there’s zombied-out on synthetic cannabis (Saxton, 2018).

Regardless of bias opinions and misconstrued media representations, a defeatist outlook does not outweigh positive efforts of change. Some people do not share the same ideologies and seek emancipation for those who face social exclusion. Housing First New Zealand collective adopts a successful model used globally, recognising that people who face mental health issues and substance addiction find it much easier to address such hurdles when permanent housing if available (Housing First, n.d). The fundamental principle of Housing First is not about managing homelessness, but of ending it altogether. The collective advocates for those who face homelessness, listening to the stories and experiences of homeless New Zealanders to develop an awareness of the issue and improve the services they provide.

I believe the approach of Housing First is a positive step toward reducing and ending homelessness, and such an approach New Zealanders to understand the reality of people who live without adequate shelter. Mass media is used in ways that sensationalise social issues, but the first step for all of us is to educate ourselves to identify dominant discourses in society and determine propaganda that exists in news outlets.

As a future social worker, the experience of seeing homelessness at my doorstep taught me that I need to unpack the assumptions that are entwined into my own life and wider society. Homelessness is a result of colonisation, exploitation, oppression, government and policy, and the negative media representation mirrors such discourse. I believe that advocacy, redistribution of resources and a change in political regime is needed.