Mt Eden Prison suggested as shelter for homeless

The derelict grounds of Mt Eden Prison could be used to shelter the homeless, according to submissions from a cross-party inquiry into homelessness. 

Submissions to the inquiry will “initially be heard in person at four locations: Te Puea Marae in Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, and Christchurch between the end of August and early September”, although you can make submissions online as well.  

According to the Green Party, “the inquiry was launched after National MPs turned down opposition requests for a Parliamentary select committee inquiry into the issue. As a result, only representatives from Labour, the Greens and the Maori Party were present at the Te Puea Marae for the inquiry. 

Labour Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford said in a joint press release that “we want to hear from those [homeless] families and the agencies working with them about the best ways to support them and reduce the reasons they lose their homes in the first place.”

This article first appeared in Issue 22, 2016.
Posted 10:34am Saturday 10th September 2016 by Joe Higham.