Social outcomes contracting trial to support people into stable housing

Published 13 Nov 24

A social outcomes-based contracting trial to support people to move out of Emergency Housing (EH) into more stable housing will take place in Wellington and Hamilton and run over the next two years.

Emerge Aotearoa (Waikato) will deliver the service in Hamilton and the Wellington City Mission in Wellington. The trial was announced by the Hon Tama Potaka, Associate Minister of Housing. Read the media release here.(external link)

Run by Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga ─ Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, the trial is a focused support service for 50-100 people total across both locations and targets single people and couples without children in their care who have been in EH for an extended period. The trial will be testing a social outcomes approach that links some of the funding to achieving successful outcomes. It is underpinned by the social investment approach. More information about the social investment approach can be found here.(external link)

The trial is being delivered by providers in each location to support people to move out of EH into more stable housing, rather than the funding of housing itself.

Wellington and Hamilton were chosen for the trial, due to the high number of people in EH in these locations, particularly single people or couples without children.

The Government has had success in focusing on families with children who have been supported out of EH into more permanent housing through the Priority One fast track that prioritises families who have been in EH for more than 12 weeks. Meanwhile the social outcomes contracting trial is focused on those single people and couples who have been in EH for a significant period and often face complex barriers to moving into more stable housing.

This work contributes to the Government’s target of reducing the number of households in EH by 75 percent over six years, meaning fewer than 800 households by 2030. More information about the Government Targets is available here.(external link)