Finding Housing for Our Whānau: A Kōrero with Shaun

Shaun is the Kaiārahi Whiwhinga- or housing procurement officer-  for our Aro Mai Housing First team. His role is building connections with local landlords and CHPs so we can provide appropriate housing for our chronically homeless whānau. DCM has been delivering the principles of the Housing First model for our whānau for many years, and have been contracted to do so since 2019. We are currently looking to increase the amount of whare (houses) we have available for our whānau.

Shaun’s been with the team for about four years, meaning he has seen many whānau find their feet through the stability that Housing First offers. As the person sourcing our housing, Shaun tends to interact with whānau at the start of their Housing First journey, but says it’s important to keep sight of the big picture:

“It takes a while to settle, it’s a big lifestyle change... It’s that one plus year [of being housed]... they’re still in the property, or they’ve reconnected with their kids, they’re reconnecting with their whānau or whatever it might be.”

As a Kaiārahi in our Housing First team Shaun sees first-hand what decades of data show to be true: housing first works. He says there is still work to be done to communicate this, with some people still under the impression that housing should come after a person meets certain criteria, such as being sober.

“There is hard evidence that the reverse works, you’re stable and consistant and comfortable before you can actually have an opporunity to work through what you want to work through.”

One of the biggest challenges that the team faces at the moment is housing supply; both availibility of suitable government housing such as Kainga Ora, and also private landlords willing to provide tenancies for those on the social housing waitlist. The need is massive and the “housing issue is just getting worse and worse.” The last few years saw some tricky manouvering from the Housing First team, who are directly impacted by housing supply issues in the region.

The new partnership with Dwell is a promising step in increasing our capacity to provide support. It’s “exciting,” Shaun says, this new partnership has really “opened the door” to expand the houses we have available for whānau.