Housing Minister Chris Bishop and Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka said more support is being rolled out for people experiencing homelessness, with the government expanding outreach and support services into six additional locations. The initiative also extends existing programmes already operating in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, and Christchurch.
According to Bishop, “Homelessness has been a problem in New Zealand for decades. We have a broken housing system that is more severe in challenging economic times.”
Late last year, five short-term measures aimed at supporting rough sleepers were announced.
“These included funding an additional 300 social homes for the Housing First programme, supporting providers to deliver stronger local responses, making more effective use of transitional housing, strengthening staff guidance on the use of discretion when assessing emergency housing grants, and redirecting benefit funding to better support those in need.
“Those measures, including the additional 300 Housing First social homes, are already making a difference.
Since September 2025, a total of 674 households who were previously sleeping rough have been placed into stable housing, either through the additional 300 Housing First places or through existing social housing.
Between November 2025 and January 2026, 177 people joined a new transitional housing pilot programme in Auckland and Hamilton.
The programme is run by homelessness support providers and funded by the government as part of initiatives introduced late last year.
The funding has also allowed housing assistance centres to deliver more than 1,500 support interventions, including mental health and addiction support and help with benefit registration, alongside expanded outreach services for people sleeping rough.
“Today we are pleased to confirm that the government will provide an additional $14.54 million over the next year for support services to help people sleeping rough,” Bishop said.
This additional funding will continue to support existing services in major centres that have a proven track record of assisting people experiencing homelessness.
“$2.7 million of this funding is to extend the support to six additional locations: Tauranga, Whakatāne, New Plymouth, Napier, Whanganui and Waimakariri. Support will be tailored to local needs, recognising that different communities face different challenges.”
Meanwhile, Potaka said the investment builds on encouraging results already being seen through the government’s homelessness response.
“The early results from Housing First, transitional housing and outreach services show that locally-led approaches are helping people move into housing and improve their circumstances.”
“We know homelessness goes beyond just a house. It can involve challenges with health, employment, addiction, family relationships, or access to services. These initiatives help connect people with the right support at the right time and improve outcomes for individuals and whānau.
Community organisations and frontline providers play a vital role in supporting vulnerable people, and this investment will help strengthen their work while ensuring more people can access the services they need.