Agenda of Community Development and Safety Committee

Community Development and Safety Committee

18 December 2013

Five Ways to Wellbeing and Mental Health Foundation Partnership

File No.: CP2013/27040

Purpose

1. This report updates the committee on developments in Auckland Council’s relationship with the Mental Health Foundation and opportunities emerging around the ‘five ways to wellbeing’.

Executive Summary

2. In February 2013, the Mental Health Foundation (MHF) presented to the Social and Community Development Forum and expressed an interest in partnering with council for the benefit of Aucklanders. A partnership is now forming with the Mental Health Foundation, to explore possibilities to make a difference regarding the ‘five ways to wellbeing’ across Auckland. The five ways are based on international research and are: take notice, connect, give, be active and keep learning.

3. The Mental Health Foundation has been applying the five ways to improve mental health outcomes in New Zealand, for the last five years. Council and the Mental Health Foundation co-hosted a Five Ways to Wellbeing Hui on 19 November 2013. The hui provided a forum for several groups to share their experience of using the five ways, and to identify opportunities to make a difference in Auckland.

4. The findings of this workshop are being used to inform next steps in the development of the partnership, which may include an Auckland wide campaign to support local connection and neighbourliness in Auckland, with private and philanthropic partners. Significant developments will be reported back to this committee as appropriate.

Recommendation

That the Community Development and Safety Committee:

a) receive the “Five Ways to Wellbeing and Mental Health Foundation partnership” report.

Discussion

5. In February 2013, the Mental Health Foundation (MHF) presented to the Social and Community Development Forum and expressed an interest in working with council to achieve mutual aims. For the last five years MHF has been actively using the ‘five ways to wellbeing’ as a framework for promoting mental health in New Zealand.

6. The five ways to wellbeing are a set of evidence based actions which promote people’s wellbeing. They are simple things individuals can do in their everyday lives and that people can work together to achieve. The five ways are based on the UK Foresight Project's Five Ways to Wellbeing report (2008), prepared by the Centre for Wellbeing at the New Economics Foundation.

7. The Centre for Wellbeing conducted a review of up-to-date evidence on what supports mental health and wellbeing, and found five common features. The research highlights that if individuals, families and communities do more of these five things, then personal, family and community wellbeing will increase. The five wellbeings are:

· Take notice – be aware of the world around you, appreciate and be grateful, be curious, be mindful and live in the present moment

· Connect – as social beings people need to feel connected to others and have good relationships, a sense of belonging and being part of a whole

· Give – doing something for others, volunteering, sharing and contributing to the community

· Be active – being physically active, moving your body and taking care of physical health

· Keep learning – trying new things, enquiring, having an active mind, keeping mentally stimulated, using libraries, continuing to learn throughout life.

8. For more on the five ways see http://www.neweconomics.org/projects/entry/five-ways-to-well-being.

9. The Mental Health Foundation has produced a best practice guide to building the five ways to wellbeing into every day life (see Attachment A). MHF has produced a set of posters, bookmarks and postcards for the five ways, with the posters available in six languages and one specifically aimed at men. It has also created the ‘wellbeing game’ which is promoted every year during Mental Health Awareness week.

10. This year, AUT’s Human Potential Centre partnered with Sovereign Insurance to produce the first New Zealand Wellbeing Index, which used the European Social Survey and the five ways to wellbeing as a framework for looking at wellbeing in New Zealand. The index was based on an on-line survey of almost 10,000 New Zealanders. A key finding was that of 23 western countries, New Zealand ranked 22^nd for ‘feeling close to people in my local area’. Nationally, Auckland ranked lowest, with only 22 per cent, or one in five Aucklanders feeling close to people in their local area. The full report is accessible at http://www.mywellbeing.co.nz/mw/report/sovereign-wellbeing-index-2013-report.pdf.

11. Prompted in part by the findings of the survey and the approach by MHF to council, council staff are experimenting with the five ways as a framework for neighbourhood development activity, increasing social connection, working with other council units and for working with local boards. When applied to neighbourhood development the five ways can relate as follows:

· Take notice – people taking an active interest in their street and neighbourhood; noticing what is happening in them, who is living there and what they can influence (older people living on their own, looking out for children, sole parents etc)

· Connect – knowing neighbours and other locals, welcoming newcomers, creating networks of care and support; fostering great relationships in streets and suburbs

· Give – people sharing their time, ideas, skills, energy and resources in their neighbourhood; doing things for others, sharing vegetables, walking dogs, childcare, putting out the rubbish

· Be active – taking part in community life and being physically active in local neighbourhoods (walking and cycling, using playgrounds, public spaces)

· Keep learning – trying and learning new things, stimulating the mind, taking on challenges, getting out of comfort zones.

12. As a framework for neighbourhood development the five ways to wellbeing: :

· Link neighbourhood development directly with personal and social wellbeing

· Respond to key issues such as poor physical and mental health and social isolation

· Are simple, common sense and easy for people to grasp

· Are internationally recognised and have a credible evidence base

· Are providing an effective means for engaging internally with other parts of council such as parks, the urban design team and libraries, as well as external agencies

· Have attracted the interest of at least one local board to date (Puketapapa) and are likely to be of interest to others as a way of framing community development activity.

13. On 19 November 2013, MHF and council co-hosted a hui on the five ways to wellbeing. At this hui AUT Professor Grant Schofield, representatives from MHF and Healthy Christchurch’s ‘All Right’ mental health campaign presented to over 70 council and external stakeholders on their experiences in using the five ways to wellbeing. A workshop was held to identify opportunities for using the five ways to promote wellbeing in Auckland.

14. Some of the ideas emerging from the workshop included:

· a ‘mindfulness driving campaign’

· creating a ‘take notice’ challenge in communities

· building the five ways into project planning

· fostering urban design that supports people connecting (village squares, comfortable public seating, ‘bumping spaces’)

· trading skills in communities (sewing, gardening, cooking)

· creating public campaigns focusing on the five ways

· outdoor exercise areas/playgrounds for adults

· libraries as centres for learning and creating intergenerational learning opportunities.

15. The next step is for MHF and council to undertake some joint initiatives, with others as appropriate. One possibility is an Auckland wide campaign focused on building social connection and wellbeing through a five ways lens. This could be funded by a range of private, public and community partners.

16. Further, the five ways will be promoted within council and externally as a way to join up around mutual areas of interest.

17. Specific initiatives emerging from the five ways to wellbeing and the budding partnership between council and the Mental Health Foundation will be reported through this committee as and when there is something significant to report.

Consideration

Local Board Views

18. In February/March 2014, the five ways to wellbeing will be presented to all local boards as part of an agenda item highlighting their current approach to neighbourhood development, and opportunities to support resident and community led development and social connection in their areas.

19. The Puketapapa Local Board is working directly with MHF to develop some local projects using the five ways to wellbeing as a framework.

Maori Impact Statement

20. The five ways to wellbeing hold cross cultural appeal and align well with holistic Maori frameworks of health and wellbeing. One aspect to explore will be how to link these frameworks productively.

Implementation Issues

21. Emerging initiatives will be funded through existing budgets, and may be jointly funded by a range of partners.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a View	Five Ways to Wellbeing Best Practice Guide	13

Signatories

Authors

Rachael Trotman - Principal Advisor, Community Development & Safety

Gael Surgenor - Manager Community Development and Safety

Authoriser

Louise Mason - Manager Community Development, Arts and Culture

Community Development and Safety Committee

18 December 2013

Neighbourhood Development

File No.: CP2013/27039

Purpose

1. This report outlines:

· key activity underway to support neighbourhood development across Auckland

· presents key messages from the ICLEI/Local Government for Sustainability’s Thriving Neighbourhood Conference in Melbourne on 28-30 October 2013

Executive Summary

2. Auckland is the sum of hundreds of diverse neighbourhoods. When people in our neighbourhoods are more connected and active in shaping where they live, neighbourhoods are more sustainable, safe, accessible and attractive. These kinds of neighbourhoods also impact positively on a wide range of social issues from homelessness, to crime, social isolation, health and mental health issues.

3. Over the coming year, focus areas for neighbourhood development in council are:

· supporting local connection and ‘neighbourliness’

· helping residents and communities to get active in their neighbourhoods

· sharing good practice in neighbourhood development and showcasing successes

· supporting local boards to make a difference.

4. The Thriving Neighbourhoods Conference, held in Melbourne 28 to 30 October 2013, identified the key features of thriving neighbourhoods as being:

· greening the streets through planting; producing fresh food in home based and communal gardens

· being pedestrian and cyclist friendly; slowing, reducing and calming traffic

· creating beautiful, iconic and amazing spaces and transforming unloved spaces

· making streets social spaces

· becoming digitally savvy

· temporarily activating community space

· making households self sufficient in infrastructure such as water, waste and heating

· tailored and creative community engagement

· connectivity and access.

5. The council hosted Thriving Neighbourhoods showcase on 24 May 2013 reflected many of these themes, and highlighted key focus areas to create the liveable city in Auckland as being local connectedness, transport, movement and access issues, food security and gardening/greening, housing, a healthy natural environment, social enterprise, zero waste and moving towards 100 per cent renewables.

6. Efforts are underway to ensure a more integrated approach to neighbourhood development and place making within council. Key strands of work supporting neighbourhood development within council include:

· the Community Led Place Making Group

· working with local boards

· community and matching funding

· events

· partnering around the five ways to wellbeing

· Neighbours Day activities

· street and neighbourhood level programmes

· public art and arts and cultural programmes

· creating mechanisms to join up within council

· sharing good ideas and practice

· local food and gardening

· community safety

· transport related initiatives.

7. Aspects of this work will be reported through to this committee and an annual update on progress and significant achievements.

Recommendation

That the Community Development and Safety Committee:

a) receive the “Neighbourhood Development” report.

Discussion

8. Neighbourhood development is about people creating and sustaining great places to live. Great streets, neighbourhoods and ‘neighbourliness’ are literally the building blocks of the world’s most liveable city.

9. Strengthening communities is a priority in the Auckland Plan. One of the six focus areas in the Thriving Communities Action Plan is supporting resident and community led development. When people are connected and active in their neighbourhood our communities are safer, more caring, supportive, cohesive and attractive.

10. Two council officers attended the Thriving Neighbourhoods Conference in Melbourne from 28-20 October, see www.thrivingneighbourhoods.org. Key messages from the conference can be summarised as follows.

· Cities are the sum of their neighbourhoods – great streets and great spaces make a liveable city.

· Change is driven by cities rather than nations.

· Greening neighbourhoods brings the temperature and CO2 levels down in urban areas, provides habitat for wildlife, makes our streets more beautiful and combats ‘nature deficit disorder’. The City of Adelaide (the 6^th most liveable city) for example is doubling the number of trees and seats in its CBD.

· Cultivate food forests, urban food production, community gardening, using private and public land for temporary gardens and food growing – www.3000acres.org in Melbourne is a project to unlock vacant land for food production (modelled on New York’s 596 acres project): “Change our culture by changing the landscape”.

· Take cars out of the CBD and make streets for pedestrians and cyclists rather than cars. La Trobe University has a ‘Map My Town’ toolkit which maps walking and cycling times in an area www.victoriawalks.org.au/mapmytown

· Slow and calm traffic – 40km in CBD, make the conversation about moving people not cars.

· Transform unloved and neglected spaces and create iconic spaces, including places to escape, for children to roam, for young people to gather, to sit in nature, new ways for people to view their neighbourhood and city, more public and temporary art works, public active spaces such as roller skating rinks, conversation areas and bumping spaces, get out on site in each community to rejuvenate their area, involve everyone.

· Reclaim streets as social spaces through programmes such as ‘Drive with your heart’ from the City of Darebin, which involves street activation programme including parties, gardening, local competitions, neighbourhood message boards (see facebook.com/Drive With Your Heart), and a UK programme called ‘Playing Out’ (kids playing safely on footpaths and streets, annual street garage sales, street planter boxes, street signage).

· Become digitally savvy and understand how technology will transform cities – the City of Adelaide for example paid $1.5m to implement free wi-fi in its public realm.

· Temporary activation of community space, see for example www.splashadelaide.com.au, which was inspired by place making in New York. It involves a lighter, quicker, cheaper approach including painting, plants, tables and chairs, and table tennis tables to activate community space and consulting with people along the way. This opens the door to council by getting out amongst the people – it is “faster, cheaper, more fun – we ask what small change would make a big difference here?” (Stephen Yarwood, City of Adelaide Mayor).

· Use food trucks to activate vacant, neglected parts of the city (without stepping on other business toes). In Adelaide some food trucks have developed into permanent shops and there has been a 30 per cent increase in outdoor dining in the last three years.

· Localise infrastructure down to community and household level – waste (e.g. composting), water (recycle greywater, collect rainwater), and heating (solar)

· Four pillars of active neighbourhoods in Estonia are as follows, where localism is considered to promote better relationships and sustainability – 1) The voice of common sense; 2) The more people shape their environment the healthier and happier they are; 3) Lively neighbourhoods are more attractive and popular; and 4) Local people are the local experts.

· The City of Melbourne’s Director of City Design presented eight factors to create thriving neighbourhoods: 1) mixed use; 2) density; 3) good street design (80 per cent of the public realm is streets); 4) local character; 5) connectivity and easy access to shops and services 6) adaptability; 7) small steps; and 8) community engagement.

11. A number of these themes were present in the Thriving Neighbourhoods showcase hosted in Auckland by council on 24 May 2013. This day profiled 20 examples of inspiring work underway in Auckland’s neighbourhoods by iwi, council, business and community/resident groups. A collective visioning session during that day identified key focus areas for Auckland the liveable city as being local connectedness, transport, movement and access issues, food security and gardening/greening, housing, healthy natural environment, social enterprise, zero waste and 100 per cent renewables.

12. Developing an integrated approach to neighbourhood development is underway within council. Most council activity affects neighbourhoods and sustainability in some way. Key initiatives in progress include:

· Community Led Place Making Group

· Working with local boards to support neighbourhood development

· Neighbours Day

· Partnering around the five ways to wellbeing

· Community funding

· Events and street and neighbourhood level programmes

· Public art and arts and cultural programmes

· Joining up around place within council

· Share, showcase and implement good ideas and successes

· Local food, greening and gardening initiatives

· Community safety

· Transport initiatives.

13. Attachment A provides an overview of each initiative.

14. The above are just some of the key strands of activity underway within council to support thriving neighbourhoods. Strands of this work will be reported through this committee from time to time and an annual update can be provided.

Consideration

Local Board Views

15. Neighbourhood development is core business for local boards. Council staff will work closely with local boards over the next few months to ensure they are clear on how they currently support neighbourhood development, what the possibilities are and where their priorities lie, linked to community needs and priorities.

16. This requires providing good advice on what the local issues and opportunities are and what is likely to have the greatest positive impact. Creative, skilled and tailored community engagement will be key to how neighbourhood development activity is expressed in each local board area.

Maori Impact Statement

17. Iwi and Maori issues, interests and aspirations should be reflected throughout the design and development of neighbourhood initiatives. Attention will be paid with each local board to surfacing these aspirations and working appropriately with Maori to progress them.

Implementation Issues

18. Neighbourhood development implementation occurs through Annual Plan and local board work programmes.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a View	Key neighbourhood development initiatives underway	21

Signatories

Authors

Rachael Trotman - Principal Advisor, Community Development & Safety

Gael Surgenor - Manager Community Development and Safety

Authoriser

Louise Mason - Manager Community Development, Arts and Culture

Community Development and Safety Committee

18 December 2013

Regional Homelessness Action Plan

File No.: CP2013/27326

Purpose

1. This report provides the Community Development and Safety Committee with progress against the Regional Homelessness Action Plan 2012-2015.

Executive Summary

2. In October 2012, the Social and Community Development Forum endorsed the Regional Homelessness Action Plan (RHAP). The RHAP was developed with key organisations to address homelessness across the Auckland region.

3. An Auckland Plan priority is to ‘House all Aucklanders in secure, healthy homes they can afford’ (Strategic Direction 11). A priority in the RHAP is to end rough sleeping by 2020.

4. The RHAP has four key strands of work:

· leadership and public awareness

· an interagency response to end rough sleeping by 2020

· a coordinated approach for vulnerable tenants living in temporary accommodation

· empowering vulnerable groups.

5. Key achievements in the last year and work in progress includes:

· research into the scale of homelessness across the region and current service provision for homelessness (2006 Census figures show almost 15,000 people experience severe housing deprivation, with 44 per cent of these aged under 25 years).

· a collaborative project is underway with AUT, members of the homeless community and social service agencies to break down stereotypes and highlight the realities of homelessness.

· the Auckland Homelessness Steering Group has developed a new strategic plan - this process has sparked a new integrated case management approach led by the Auckland City Mission and Community Probation Services, which seeks to find innovative solutions for homeless people with high complex needs and who are at risk of re-offending.

· a social innovation approach to rough sleeping is in process, initiated by a workshop in August 2013, co-hosted by council and Lifewise and facilitated by Thinkplace. This introduced a design led approach to understand journeys into and out of rough sleeping to identify common trigger points

· Kahikatea Tū Te Uru – a cultural connectedness project, co-designed by people with lived experience of homelessness

· several initiatives to address homelessness and housing issues in west Auckland, including a social rentals enterprise

· continuation of the successful New Beginnings Court

· planning is underway for a youth homelessness forum to tackle youth specific issues.

Recommendation

That the Community Development and Safety Committee:

a) receive the “Regional Homelessness Action Plan Update” report.

Discussion

6. On 30 May 2012, the Social and Community Development Forum resolved that:

‘A revised Regional Homelessness Action Plan be completed with stakeholder input and that this work be reported to the Social and Community Development Forum in October 2012.’

7. The 2012-2015 Regional Homelessness Action Plan (RHAP) provides an opportunity to consolidate work from across the region and allows best practice initiatives to be shared. The RHAP incorporates has four strands:

· leadership and public awareness

· an interagency response to end rough sleeping by 2020

· a coordinated approach for vulnerable tenants living in temporary accommodation

· empowering vulnerable groups.

8. An update on progress for each work strand is provided below.

Strand 1 - Leadership and Public Awareness

9. This is achieved through collective implementation of the Regional Homeless Action Plan by relevant and interested agencies, including the New Zealand Coalition to End Homelessness, the Auckland Homelessness Steering Group, the Auckland Rough Sleepers Initiative and the Waitakere Housing Call to Action.

Research and Data

10. The RHAP specified a need for research into the extent of homelessness and service provision across the region. Gravitas is currently undertaking this work, with preliminary results available regarding the scale of homelessness across the region and stakeholder mapping.

11. The researchers were unable to identify the scale of homelessness in Auckland from the agencies serving these communities, as most agencies have little understanding of numbers, particularly for people living in temporary or shared/overcrowded accommodation. Those living without shelter, or sleeping rough, predominates in the Central City and is better understood, with recent outreach figures showing a population of approximately 150 individuals. Many agencies commented that more resources were needed to better meet demand.

12. A recently published report by Amore et al (2013) indicates that those living with severe housing deprivation (homeless) in the Auckland region are numerous, with 14,926 people identified living in these circumstances based on census data gathered in 2006 – see figure 1 for a breakdown of results.

13. Severe housing deprivation refers to people living in severely inadequate housing and to those who cannot access a dwelling to rent, let alone buy. Minimally adequate housing is that which provides the basics in core dimensions of housing adequacy – habitability, privacy and control, and security of tenure. Once the latest Census data is available the research figures can be updated.

Figure 1. Categories of Severe Housing Deprivation/Homelessness for legacy Auckland region

(adapted from Amore et al 2013)

Stakeholder Mapping

14. Data has been collated on service provision of agencies throughout the Auckland region. This includes accommodation by housing providers as well as social services such as case management, tenancy, day to day needs and addiction services. Staff will work with agencies on the implications from this research and ensure that it is accessible and updated over time.

Advocacy

15. Auckland Council continues to participate in the New Zealand Coalition to End Homelessness (NZCEH), an incorporated society whose aim is to end homelessness by 2020. This year, the coalition facilitated a parliamentary breakfast that was attended by government and non-government organisations, members of parliament and the homeless community. At the breakfast two main political parties announced a call for cross party support to work towards the goal of ending homelessness by 2020.

Public Awareness

16. Auckland Council is part of a collaborative project to breakdown misconceptions and highlight the realities of homelessness. The project involves design students from AUT, members of the homeless community and social service agencies and is due for completion in April 2014. The purpose of the project is to raise public awareness about homelessness and to provide a space in which people with lived experience of homelessness can tell their stories.

Strand 2- An interagency response to end rough sleeping

The Auckland Homelessness Steering Group

17. The Auckland Homelessness Steering Group (AHSG) includes government and non-government organisations with a common vision to end rough sleeping in Auckland city by 2020. The organisations include:

· Auckland City Mission

· Lifewise

· New Zealand Police

· Department of Corrections

· Auckland District Health Board

· Serco

· Te Puni Kokiri

· Housing New Zealand

· Ministry of Social Development

· Auckland Council

18. Early in 2013, the steering group oversaw the development of a new strategic plan, with key outcomes sought being:

· No new people sleeping rough in central Auckland

· A knowledge bank developed to capture information

· Effective case management for those sleeping rough

· Rough sleepers engaged in the solutions to end rough sleeping

· Improved services to assist rough sleepers, and those at high risk of sleeping rough

· Business relationships and advocacy address gaps to end rough sleeping.

19. This process has given the steering group a renewed energy and there have already been some significant changes in the way that the agencies work together. This is best highlighted by a new coordinated case management approach initiated by the Auckland City Mission and Community Probation Services. This approach aims to find creative, courageous and innovative solutions for homeless people who have high complex needs and who are at risk of re-offending.

20. An individual case plan is created that follows the individual rather than an agency. In a short time the group has had some key insights, including the importance of connecting people back to their family/whānau. This is especially significant for the more than 60% of rough sleepers who are Māori. Here, the team utilise a “Specialist Māori Cultural Assessment” as a first step to establishing whānau links.

Social Innovation Approach – understanding rough sleeping

21. On 28 August 2013, Auckland Council and Lifewise worked in partnership to host a social innovation workshop that was facilitated by ThinkPlace (Wellington). The purpose of the workshop was to generate momentum towards ending homelessness, building on the energy of the Big Sleep Out 2013 Think Tank that generated over 100 ideas to end homelessness.

22. The workshop participants included people from the business and innovation community, government and non-government organisations and introduced the concept of a human centred design approach.

Figure 2. Human Centred Design Process

Social Innovation workshop (2013)

23. The Auckland Homeless Steering Group has also incorporated a social innovation approach to its work, and will be utilising human centred design processes. The first phase in this work is discovering the individual’s journey into and out of rough sleeping, to identify common issues to address. Understanding this will assist the steering group in the development of future key initiatives by developing a set of limited ideas that can combine to solve a range of needs. This process is highlighted in figure 2 above.

Outreach Services

24. Outreach provides a means for social workers to build relationships with rough sleepers to assist them into sustainable accommodation and to quickly re-house any new rough sleepers. Outreach services are currently provided by the Auckland City Mission and are part-funded by Auckland Council. As part of the RHAP, there has been some initial work to identify agencies across the region who could provide outreach services to other areas.

25.

Figure. 3 Outreach statistics July-August 2010-2013

26. The Auckland City Mission Outreach report for July, August and September 2013 shows a static number of rough sleepers in central Auckland, with an average of 147 people per month. These figures also show a steady number of new people engaged with Outreach, with an average of 15 new people per month. This, in most instances, would mean new people to the streets. Whilst these figures are high, they do show an overall downward trend for the period July-September since 2010 (see figure 3).

New Beginnings Court

27. The New Beginnings Court is a solutions focused court that seeks to address the underlying causes of low level offending by homeless people in the central city. The evaluation of the New Beginnings Court in 2012 highlighted successes for participants as follows:

· reduction in arrests

· improved health

· reduction in prison bed nights

· reduction in the number of people sleeping rough, with sustained tenancies

· increased access to finances

· increased engagement with social service providers

· increased contact with family/whanau.

28. The evaluation also made recommendations that have been addressed in 2013, including increased access to culturally appropriate programmes and the adoption of an efficient and effective screening process.

29. The funding of the court for 2014 has been agreed to by the contributing agencies of the Auckland Homelessness Steering Group. There are ongoing discussions with the Minister for Courts to address the long term funding of the court, with an aim for the court to be funded by one government agency. These discussions were supported by the chairs of the previous Community Safety and the Social and Community Development forums.

Rough Sleeping in West Auckland

30. Agencies have highlighted an increasing number of people sleeping rough in West Auckland. An interagency forum on 28 November 2013 brought together committed organisations. The group agreed to work collaboratively to address the needs of rough sleepers and support them into long term sustainable accommodation and on the following next steps:

· to complete a terms of reference for a collective approach

· capacity building of social service agencies in West Auckland

· outreach training.

Strand 3. Coordinated approach for Vulnerable Tenants

The Waitakere Housing Call to Action

31. The Waitakere Housing Call to Action (HC2A) was created in 2005, as a result of priorities identified under the umbrella of the Waitakere Wellbeing Collaboration project, a joint initiative between committed members of the community, local and central government sectors. The HC2A mandate is to promote affordable, sustainable housing for people in Waitakere.

32. The HC2A is a vibrant information and networking forum that supports the development of innovative and practical housing initiatives in Waitakere such as:

· Social Rentals Enterprise

· Spotlight on Housing

· Social Housing Project.

Social Rentals Enterprise

33. A working group of the Waitakere Housing Call to Action (WHC2A) is looking to establish a social rentals property management service in West Auckland. This is based on successful international models and similar approaches in New Zealand to assist people experiencing housing difficulties into stable secure housing situations.

34. Background research has been undertaken with an initial social enterprise business plan and proposal prepared for prospective funders. The Social Rentals service would require $100,000 as start-up capital, with financial projections indicating that the service would break even and then begin to make a profit after one year’s operation. The working group is also conducting:

· investigation into the best legal structure for the service

· focus groups with private property investors to ascertain their experiences as landlords and their perceptions of barriers and benefits of a social rental property management service.

Spotlight on Housing (SOH) Week 2013

35. This was run for the fourth year in West Auckland and focused on raising awareness of rental rights and responsibilities and healthy housing. Mobile information and help kiosks were set up in local Work and Income offices, malls and markets with interactive displays.

36. There was a very positive response from a snapshot survey of people who filled in feedback forms at the kiosks, with almost all finding it helpful and 78 per cent reporting the information/advice as great. Over half considered affordability to be their biggest housing issue, with 27 per cent also expressing concerns about the health impacts of their current housing. Several horror stories were shared about the conditions of some houses.

37. Future recommendations for SOH Week were:

· have one SOH day in different places, local and regional, on World Homelessness Day

· have housing information packs and displays that can go to local neighbourhood groups for events, to be made available online.

Social Housing in West Auckland

38. A community meeting was held in Ranui in October 2013 and was hosted by the Minister of Social Development, Paula Bennett. It was an opportunity for the community to come together to discuss the housing issues in West Auckland and the caravan park itself.

39. The caravan park was set up originally as holiday/temporary accommodation. However, it has now become the only emergency accommodation in West Auckland with many people residing there long term. The caravan park houses up to 300 people, including families with children. Social service agencies report the difficulty of finding alternative accommodation and social housing providers, including Housing New Zealand, report being at capacity.

40. Currently a two-pronged approach is being adopted to address the lack of social housing in west Auckland.

· Undertake a feasibility study for provision of more suitable social housing for current Western Village Caravan Park tenants (with SHU funding). This would explore options for developing both the existing WVCP site as well as other possible Crown/Council land that could be made available.

· Scope and initiate a research study to gather and collate existing and new data on current rental housing issues/needs and potential solutions in west Auckland, to provide evidence for increased social/affordable rental housing development to address the current gaps. A social housing levy ($20 per household), similar to levies used successfully overseas in cities like Seattle to increase social housing stock is one option.

Strand 4. Empowering Vulnerable Groups

41. There are a number of different groups affected by homelessness that require a targeted response. This year the RHAP has focused on Māori and youth.

Kahikatea Tū Te Uru – Together as one, we stand strong as many

42. The purpose of this project is to provide a platform to enable greater cultural connectedness for homeless people, particularly homeless Māori. The project is a series of hīkoi across the city – it is about making connections. It puts tikanga and te reo Māori at the centre of the approach, using it as the vehicle in which to empower, enrich and describe life as urban Māori.

43. The process of designing the hīkoi is as important as the hīkoi itself. Since July 2013, three men with lived experience of homelessness have been working with cultural advisors and other experts to grow and nurture the kaupapa of the project and to design the first hīkoi. The intent is for this process to continue, so that each hīkoi is a continuation of the last, with an ever expanding whakapapa. This approach also allows for the project to be owned by those who participate.

44. The first hīkoi was held on 16 November 2013 and was attended by 12 people with lived experience of homelessness. The hīkoi was a journey with three pou or posts to reach: Maungawhau (Mt Eden), through to Pukekawa (the domain) and then onto the whenua at Ōrakei marae. Each of these pou were marked by cultural activities that were bound in the narrative of mana whenua and the landscape. This process of place-based-activity helps to enliven and activate the space and is important in growing the collective knowledge of Tāmaki-makau-rau.

Youth Homelessness

45. Research from Statistics NZ (2013) quantifies youth homelessness (severe housing deprivation) for the first time, highlighting that of the 14,926 people who are severely housing deprived, 44 per cent of those are young people under the age of 25 (n=7,164).

Figure 1: Adapted from Amore et al – Severe Housing Deprivation (Statistics NZ)

46. The Gravitas research identified youth homelessness as a growing concern across the region:

· homelessness in youth is a common precursor to homelessness in later life

· a high proportion of those old enough to leave foster care do not transition successfully into independent living

· youth require specialist service delivery and in particular lifelong support at some level, where parents would ordinarily provide care

· many homeless youth identify as Queer, and education for parents is required (to address youth being evicted from their family homes for this reason) and that services provided to youth homeless are inclusive of those in the GLBTI community.

Youth Homelessness Forum

47. Council staff presented to Auckland Agencies for Youth (AAfY) on 28 November 2013 to highlight youth homelessness as a concern. AAfY have agreed to support a youth homelessness forum in 2014. Auckland Council will work with the Ministry of Social Development and Youthline to progress this work. The purpose of the forum would be to showcase all the work being done in the youth homelessness and housing sector and to provide a platform for agencies to partner and generate action.

Consideration

Local Board Views

48. No local board input has been sought at this stage.

Maori Impact Statement

49. Both the Gravitas research commissioned by Auckland Council and recent national research by Amore et al 2013 highlight that Māori are overrepresented across the homelessness spectrum.

50. Approximately 60 per cent of the rough sleepers in Auckland CBD are of Māori descent. Current research (Groot 2012) shows that Māori who are homeless face an even greater sense of marginalisation due to a spiritual disconnection from whānau, hapū and iwi.

51. Since the creation of a cultural framework in 2009 by the Auckland Homelessness Steering Group, there have been a number of recent initiatives to address this disparity in central Auckland, including:

· the use of a Specialist Māori Cultural Assessment tool in case management meetings

· purposeful connections to pro-social whānau members

· connections with tīkanga programs through the New Beginnings Court

· the development of a kaupapa Māori project that is designed by Māori with lived experience of homelessness (Kahikatea Tū Te Uru).

52. There is still a significant amount of work to be done across the region, and council staff plan on engaging with other mana whenua and mataawaka groups to further develop the cultural strategy and foster this kaupapa.

Implementation Issues

53. The implementation of the action plan relies on the strength of networks and relationships across the Auckland region. The activities and programmes of the plan are funded through a departmental budget of $50,000 per annum as described in the Long Term Plan.

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

Signatories

Author	Sophia Beaton, Community Safety Project Leader (Homelessness)., Community Development & Safety
Authoriser	Louise Mason - Manager Community Development, Arts and Culture

Community Development and Safety Committee

18 December 2013

Overview Report - Setting Committee Direction

File No.: CP2013/27041

Purpose

1. This report proposes that the Community Development and Safety Committee hold a workshop in February 2014 to consider current and planned work relevant to the committee’s areas of activity, key issues arising and focus areas for the coming year.

Executive Summary

2. The terms of reference (delegations) for this committee identify its areas of activity, which cover a wide range of issues. To ensure that the committee is strategic and focused on making the greatest positive difference it can for Aucklanders, there is a need to consider the current and planned council work programme related to the committee’s areas of activity, key issues arising and where the committee wants to place its focus for the coming year.

3. The proposed vehicle for this is a workshop in February 2014. The aim of the workshop is to clarify committee interests for the coming year and how the committee can make the greatest positive difference.

Recommendation

That the Community Development and Safety Committee:

a) agree to hold a workshop in February 2014 to identify key focus areas for 2014.

Discussion

4. In the terms of reference (delegations) for this committee its areas of activity are defined as follows (see Attachment A).

· Projects and programmes related to children and young people

· Regional frameworks for local community facilities

· Social implications of housing and accessibility (e.g. homelessness, provision of emergency housing, disability accessible housing) including operation of the council’s social housing

· Projects and programmes focused on specific sectors of the community e.g. seniors, migrants

· Safety and related community issues e.g. alcohol, graffiti, family and sexual violence, commercial sex, and injury prevention

· Facilitating partnerships and collaborative funding models across the community sector.

5. Within these areas of activity the committee is responsible for developing policy and strategy in accordance with the agreed work programme to recommend to its parent committee, the Regional Strategy and Policy Committee. This includes recommendations relating to community consultation, acting as a forum to raise community concerns and making decisions within delegated powers.

6. In the previous term of council the Social and Community Development Forum played four key roles:

· providing a platform for public dialogue, raising of issues and debate

· influencing council policy and operational responses

· supporting diverse voices and representation within council

· supporting collaborative responses to complex social issues.

7. Work in progress from the forum includes:

· scoping how council can best collaborate with health agencies on health issues

· council support for migrants and refugees

· Auckland as an age friendly region

· scoping how council can support the development of culturally appropriate aged care facilities, via council’s social housing provision.

8. An overview of the work of the Social and Community Development Forum 2010-2013 work programme is provided at Attachment B.

9. It is proposed that a workshop be held in February 2014 to provide an opportunity for the Community Development and Safety Committee to discuss its areas of focus for 2014. A briefing paper would be provided to the committee prior to the workshop, to include:

· Key issues facing Auckland, linked to the committees areas of activity

· What council can best influence

· The current work programme related to the committee’s areas of activity

· Suggestions for potential focus areas.

10. The intention would be for the workshop to identify focus areas for the committee to approve and inform staff work programme planning for 2014/2015.

Consideration

Local Board Views

11. The terms of reference stipulate that any community engagement undertaken by this committee is complementary to that undertaken by local boards. Connections between the desired focus areas of this committee and the work of local boards will need to be made explicit and discussed with relevant local boards.

Maori Impact Statement

12. Enhancing Maori social and economic wellbeing is a strategic priority in the Auckland Plan and key to the future of Auckland. Addressing Treaty of Waitangi considerations and how best to improve Maori wellbeing through the work of this committee will form part of the proposed workshop.

Implementation Issues

13. None.

Attachments

No.	Title	Page
a View	Terms of Reference (Delegations) for the Community Development and Safety Committee	37
b View	Overview of the Social and Community Development Forum 2010 to 2013	39

Signatories

Authors

Rachael Trotman - Principal Advisor, Community Development & Safety

Gael Surgenor - Manager Community Development and Safety

Authoriser

Louise Mason - Manager Community Development, Arts and Culture

Discussion

5. The terms of reference for the Social and Community Development Forum state that the forum can consider and recommend via a report to the Regional Development and Operations Committee:

· policy for council involvement and advocacy on social issues, including proposals for and liaison with the Social Policy Forum

· policy and planning for community development

· social and community aspects of the council’s governing body functions

· developing region-wide polices and planning on social and community issues, namely gambling, drugs, road safety and family violence.

The terms of reference also allow for joint meetings of the Social and Community Development Forum and the Community Safety Forum to be held.

6. The Social and Community Development Forum met 25 times during the current council term. The inaugural meeting was held on 23 November 2010 and the final meeting for this term of office will be held on 27 August 2013. The forum is chaired by Councillor Casey and the Deputy Chair is Councillor Northey. At the inaugural meeting the following resolutions affecting the operation of the forum were made:

· That the location of future meetings of the Social and Community Development Forum be varied throughout the city to take account of opportunities to engage with community upon matters that are relevant and timely (SCD/2010/8).

· That officers be requested to prepare a calendar of community development focussed conferences, events and initiatives occurring before December 2011 and incorporate this within a report recommending a schedule of themed (e.g. housing) agendas for this forum, to coincide with these activities (SCD/201/9).

7. Each meeting of the forum has been themed and meetings have been held at different locations around the region, often with a community partner acting as the host for the meeting (see Attachment A). Positive Ageing was the proposed theme for a September 2013 meeting; this meeting was cancelled and at the June 2013 meeting the Forum resolved to “set the theme of the first meeting of the next term of office on ‘older people’” (SCD/2013/54).

8. The work of the forum is wide ranging and involves the following key roles:

· providing a platform for public raising of issues and debate

· influencing council policy and operational responses

· supporting diverse voices and representation within council

· supporting collaborative responses to complex social issues.

Providing a platform for public raising of issues and debate

9. The external presentations and public input to the forum indicates the breadth of issues and themes covered during forum meetings (see Attachment B for a summary).

10. The forum has attracted diverse and highly regarded speakers, ensuring a high quality of debate and discussion. Examples of speakers include :

· The meeting themed ‘Women in Auckland’ on 30 May 2012; where public input speakers were:

· Domestic Violence and Disability - Debbie Hager

· Puketapapa Local Board - Julie Fairey

· Human Rights Commission - Dr Judy McGregor

· Ethnic Peoples’ Advisory Panel - Ann Pala

· Ethnic Peoples’ Advisory Panel - Dr Camille Nakhid

· The meeting themed ‘The Social Implications of Problem Gambling’ on 31 July 2012, where public input speakers were:

· Problem Gambling Foundation of New Zealand - Nelson Wahanui

· Asian Family Services - Gus Lim

· Hapai Te Hauora Tapui Ltd - Anthony Hawke

· The Salvation Army Oasis Centre - Sarah Woodward and Brent Diack

· School of Population and Health, University of Auckland - Associate Professor Peter Adams

· Mt Wellington Foundation - Leila Boyle.

Influencing council policy and operational response

11. The forum has had input into the development of a range of policy areas including:

· Library policy and development, including the collections policy

· The Thriving Communities Social and Community Development Action Plan

· Gambling policy and the social impact of gambling and gaming, including support for a sinking lid policy for class 4 gambling venues

· Support for restriction of smoking in public places - a region-wide smoke-free policy that allows local boards to implement a non-regulatory approach to smoking in public places has been adopted.

12. The forum recommended at its first meeting that Auckland Council confirms itself as a “City for Peace” (subsequently approved by RDOC) and that an action plan and declaration be presented to RDOC in April 2011 (SCD/2010/7).

13. The forum received presentations from local board elected members and has connected with local boards on a wide range of issues for example developing matching funds to promote and co-fund community projects.

14. The forum has provided support for community organisations. An example of this is the forum recommendation to RDOC that Parks, Sports and Recreation be requested to set up a formal relationship with the Manurewa Local Board and the Randwick Park Residents’ Association (SCD/2011/46); and providing support for Te Herenga Waka o Orewa Incorporated to secure land for a marae.

Disability, access and inclusion

15. A key focus area for the forum from 2010 to 2013 has been that of disability, access and inclusion. At the second meeting of the forum on 3 February 2011 the BE Institute presented on disability and access issues for Auckland and proposed the formation of a strategic relationship between council and the BE Institute. A strategic relationship agreement between council and the BE Institute was approved on 28 February 2012. This agreement focused on supporting local boards to become accessible local boards, providing information on accessibility in Auckland on the BE Institute web pages and development of a leadership symposium.

16. In March 2011 the forum recommended that RDOC support the establishment of a Disability Leadership Group, along with a draft terms of reference and selection process (SCD/2011/14). This helped to catalyse the formation of the Disability Strategic Advisory Group, which held its first meeting on 18 July 2011.

17. In June 2011 the forum received a report on the council response to disability issues, including the current state, issues and opportunities. From this meeting the following key opportunities were identified for action:

Action area	Update
Engage with the Disability Strategic Advisory Group to maximise access regarding council owned and occupied buildings	The Disability Strategic Advisory Group (DSAG) has met with a number of council departments regarding accessibility of council buildings. The Major Project Design Review team reviews all major capex projects – this team is currently being reviewed and will ensure that universal design expertise is applied to all relevant projects
Appoint a design/access specialist to the Urban Design Panel	Three universal design experts form a sub Panel to this Panel to provide specific universal design advice as and when required. Universal design/barrier free training is also being scoped for provision to all Panel members
Implement a Barrier Free training programme for relevant staff	Staff training is ongoing
Ensure council communications are accessible	Accessible Communications Guidelines for council are in the approval stage
Ensure council supports equal employment opportunities and disability standards and procedures	Currently being progressed
Consider a cadetship scheme for young people, ensuring young people with disabilities can participate	Currently being reviewed
Establish a deaf events coordinator to increase access for deaf people to events	DSAG advised that this would not effectively embed accessibility – this issue is addressed in the Accessible Communications Guidelines

18. In December 2011 the forum supported officer recommendations to implement universal design principles across council policy and practice, including identifying the placement and level of resources needed to achieve this (SCD/2011/102). A cross council Universal Design Working Group has recently formed to move this work forward and can present on progress made to the new appropriate council committee. This Working Group emerged after the council hosted national Universal Design Conference on 24 May 2013.

Supporting diverse voices and representation within council

The forum has played an active role in seeking to ensure that the diversity of Auckland’s people is acknowledged. This includes:

19. Supporting the development of the Disability Strategic Advisory group as noted above.

20. Supporting issues for the gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual and intersex communities to be investigated and brought back to the Forum (SCD/2012/75)

21. Support for the continuation of the Pacific Peoples Panel and progression of issues raised by this Panel (SCD/2013/25).

Supporting collaborative responses to complex social issues

22. The forum supported regional hui to develop a regional Violence Prevention Plan. It also sought that council officers liaise with ATEED and other relevant organisations and urgently develop a strategy regarding violence prevention and funding for enhanced services during the Rugby World Cup (SCD/2011/64)

23. Homelessness is an example of another key interest area for the forum. On 3 March 2011 Forum members went on a site visit to the Auckland City Mission. Around this time the Forum’s Chairperson wrote to the Minister of Social Development recommending the development of a national strategy on homelessness (SCD/2011/20). In July 2011 the forum approved holding a half day interagency homelessness hui, to inform a refresh of the 2008-2013 Homelessness Action Plan (SCD/2011/47). On 30 May 2012 the Forum acknowledged the following significant achievements relating to homelessness achieved through the interagency approach being taken:

· establishment of the New Beginnings Court

· the success of cultural programmes to provide standard practices for homeless people who are Maori

· training for frontline Council staff who come into contact with homeless people

· the formation of a working group to address the need for socially responsible landlords

· agreement to evaluate key projects, including the New Beginnings Court and the Western Park Village Hub.

24. As well as the council partnership with the BE Institute, the forum has overseen the revising of the council’s relationship with the Citizen’s Advice Bureaux. The forum recommended that RDOC approve the Auckland Council and Auckland Citizens Advice Bureaux Strategic Relationship Agreement 2013-2015, on 28 May 2013 (SCD/2013/43). This agreement was approved and endorsed for three year funding by RDOC in June 2013 and the first year of funding has been allocated. A priority in the joint work programme for 2013/2014 is the development of a service development plan for CABx across Auckland.

Work in progress

25. The following resolutions or requests are in progress.

· A workshop be convened including elected members on effective actions, priorities and collaboration with health agencies on health issues. The Community and Cultural Strategy team is scoping this work with the Auckland Policy office.

· The development of a migrant and refugee policy. A comprehensive stocktake of legacy and current settlement support activities by Council has been undertaken. Council is also a partner in the Auckland Regional Settlement Strategy and is implementing a range of programmes which are linked to that Strategy.

· The forum supports initiatives towards Auckland becoming a World Health Organisation age friendly region and that this be considered as part of regional cultural policy development and planning. Note that an additional action has been included in the Auckland Plan regarding council producing an annual report on older people, including indicators from the New Zealand Positive Ageing Strategy.

· The forum referred the proposal for culturally appropriate aged care facilities to the Manager: Community and Cultural Strategy for further investigation, in consultation with the three district health boards covering the Auckland region and relevant organisations (SCD/2011/86). This is being explored through council’s older persons housing provision. As a result of advocacy from an Ethnic People’s Advisory Panel member, development of a wing for older people of South East Asian origin in a south Auckland retirement village development has begun.

Consideration

Local Board Views

26. A range of local board elected members presented to the forum during this term. Most of the issues and themes addressed by the forum during this term are of interest to local boards. Support for local board take up of matching funds is an area of exploration with Local Boards from late 2013.

Maori Impact Statement

27. The Social and Community Development Forum has engaged with the council’s Maori Responsiveness Framework, explored issues for Maori, visited marae and received presentations from a wide range of stakeholders regarding Maori aspirations and issues affecting Maori in Auckland.

Implementation Issues

28. The work in progress noted above will be taken to the appropriate committee in the new council term.

Chairperson	Dr Cathy Casey
Deputy Chairperson	Cr Sir John Walker, KNZM, CBE
Members	Cr Anae Arthur Anae
	Cr Linda Cooper, JP
	Cr Alf Filipaina
	Member Kris MacDonald
	Cr Calum Penrose
	Member Josie Smith
	Cr Wayne Walker
	Cr John Watson
	Cr George Wood, CNZM
Ex-Officio	Mayor Len Brown, JP
	Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse

Initiative	Activities
The Community Led Place Making Group (formerly known as the Neighbourhood Planning Taskforce group)	Led by Chief Planning Officer Roger Blakely, this group involves Local Board members and staff from a range of council units. This group is forming its terms of reference around enabling community led planning and place making
Working with local boards to support neighbourhood development	The Community Development and Safety Unit will report to each local board by end April 2014 on how it currently supports neighbourhood development and how it can further enable local connection and resident/community led action and leadership
Neighbours Day	Community Development and Safety and Local Board Services staff are working with local boards to support Neighbours Day related activity, during the weekend of 28 to 30 March 2014
Partnering around the five ways to wellbeing	See the separate report in this agenda on the five ways to wellbeing, including the potential of creating a jointly funded Auckland wide campaign to foster neighbourliness and local connection
Community funding	The Community Funding Policy is in development. Matching funds are one way to incentivise resident led activity and local connection. This involves providing small amounts of funding to individuals or groups, who ‘match’ the funding with their own resources, to achieve a local project or gathering These are a nimble way to resource local connection and activity that can produce significant impact with a small investment
Events and street and neighbourhood level programmes	Units across council are working at street and neighbourhood level to improve community safety, local sustainability, attractiveness and connection. Local events are key to bringing people together at neighbourhood level
Public art and arts and cultural programmes	Public art is key to place shaping, alongside community led and joint council/community projects to tidy and beautify local areas
Joining up around place within council	This is an ongoing initiative to identify and action ways to connect planning with operations within council and find ways to work in an integrated manner in local areas. Interest in a neighbourhood development Intranet site within council will be gauged, along with other internal mechanisms
Share, showcase and implement good ideas and successes	By July 2014 there will be at least two showcases of good neighbourhood development practice, including the messages from the Melbourne Thriving Neighbourhoods Conference and an Auckland focused thriving neighbourhoods event around May 2014. This is likely to be local board focused, sharing examples and lessons for local boards around neighbourhood development
Local food, greening and gardening initiatives	A community food initiatives guide is being prepared for local boards by June 2014 and a substantial programme of work is being developed across council to accelerate and amplify the food and gardening movement in Auckland
Community safety	Local safety hotspots are being identified and addressed alongside local communities Council is working with Neighbourhood Support to refresh its approach and maximise community connection through Neighbourhood Support initiatives, especially in the south The Community Safety team’s work programme involves a wide range of initiatives aimed at making neighbourhoods safer, including developing night time economies, reduce alcohol related harm, homelessness and family violence
Transport initiatives	Auckland Transport is leading a range of initiatives to promote local connection, physical activity and access. One is the Future Streets project which is a partnership with Massey University’s SHORE Institute to see how traffic calming impacts on local physical activity and connectedness

No.	Title	Page
a View	Governing Body 19 Dec 2013 - Proposals on the role and functioning of Council's demographic advisory panels	47