Winter 2024 update to our supporters
Kia ora koutou
Mānawatia a Matariki! Welcome to our winter newsletter, written during a time of reflection and renewal as we look to the stars/the whetū, gather together, and set intentions for the new year ahead.
We are entering a period of intention-setting and renewed commitments here at the Coalition. We have a new email ‘home’ and we have welcomed a new team member - Briar, from Strictly Savvy who will be working as our administrator extraordinaire.
We are also delighted to be working with Ihi Research and Taylor Fry New Zealand on a significant research project into the current context for women’s homelessness - our contribution to closing the research and evidence gap. We will be keeping our community updated!
Thank you for your engagement with our pānui and our work to date - we have a small but mighty community and we appreciate you all. For the 40-odd people who turned up on their Friday lunchtime to engage with our fantastic webinar on the financial, health, and housing needs of older women - a big mihi to you. We were so fortunate to have the powerful voices of Dr. Kathie Irwin (Kathie Irwin and Associates), Katherine Foulkes (part of the Aged Care Commissioner’s team at the Health and Disability Commission), and Nikki Hurst (Council of Christian Social Services).
We are working on our next webinar for late July and we will be updating our network soon. It will feature a discussion on international housing movements and the opportunities to better create housing opportunities for migrant and ethnic women here.
Please encourage your friends and colleagues to sign up on our website!
INSIGHTS ON BUDGET 2024
For those of you who tuned into the coverage of Budget 2024, you will have seen that it was a difficult budget for those of us working on addressing those in crisis when it comes to their housing or those with emergency housing needs.
For us at the Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness, three key things stood out:
an overall reduction of $350M in emergency housing spend.
the cancellation of the Homelessness Action Plan 2.0.
Last year, we made our views strongly heard on the need for our strategic policy plans to include gender analysis at a minimum - with a target of having a bespoke action plan on women’s homelessness.
It is not yet clear what strategic policy may take its place, but we will continue to amplify women’s voices and advocate for policies that create long-term funding opportunities for providers and services that support women experiencing homelessness.
NEWS AND VIEWS
Peak body, Community Housing Aotearoa-Ngā Wharerau o Aotearoa commented on the Government’s announcement of funding for new public housing places in late May, noting that it will support some stalled projects getting off the ground.
Acting Minister for Women, Louise Upston, has announced a voluntary Gender Pay Gap reporting tool for businesses. The Gender Pay Gap goes to the heart of women’s financial well-being in later life, which is a key factor in their housing security.
The Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner Saunoamaali'i Karanina Sumeo immediately called for that tool to include ethnic pay gaps as well, a critical intervention for Pacific and Māori women who experience the intersection of ethnic and gender pay gaps.
The Kāinga Ora review has been released and taking actions on the recommendations of the report has been stated as the Government’s current priority in housing.
This week, The Detail took a deep dive into the issue of debt to MSD and how that impacts beneficiaries. This is a big issue for women experiencing homelessness as University of Otago research has shown that they need greater levels of income support than men experiencing homelessness - often because of their caregiving responsibilities.
Thank you all for your continued support. We look forward to seeing you on our webinar.
He iti te mokoroa, nāna i kati te kahikatea
The grub may be small, but it cuts through the kahikatea
Vic, Helen, Jo, Caroline, and Jill
