Housing First Pūrākau share experiences of homelessness

Published 31 May 21

Two pūrākau reports sharing diverse stories of whānau supported by Housing First have been released by Associate Minister of Housing (Homelessness) Marama Davidson.

Housing First is an internationally recognised programme that aims to house and provide on-going support services for people and whānau experiencing homelessness.

Pūrākau are a traditional and intergenerational method of sharing mātauranga (knowledge). They are stories that traditionally have a deeper message and are used to share knowledge of te ao Māori and to provide guidance.

“The two Housing First pūrākau, He oranga ngākau, he pikinga wairua and He whare kōrero o Mangatakitahi, recount the journey to date of two Housing First programmes (He Kāinga Ora ki Ōtautahi – Housing First Christchurch and Mangatakitahi – Housing First Rotorua) and the whānau they support,” says Minister Davidson

“This kōrero provides powerful and insightful narratives from people who have lived experience of homelessness. Recording what they have to say is an effective way of improving and developing services for those who need it.

“The pūrākau of people engaged with Housing First has reinforced the value of taking a place-based approach with housing providers, iwi, local and national government working together to support whānau in their area.”

“Mā te rongo, ka mōhio, Mā te mōhio, ka mārama, Mā te mārama, ka mātau, Mā te mātau, ka ora.” “From listening comes knowledge, from knowledge comes understanding, From understanding comes wisdom, from wisdom comes well-being.”

“This proverb highlights through knowledge and understanding comes flourishing and prosperity. The learnings from the Pūrākau will assist Housing First providers in the work they do providing appropriate, secure housing and in-home support,” says Minister Davidson.

Te Tūāpapa Kura Kāinga – Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) engaged Tīaho Limited, a kaupapa Māori research, evaluation and policy development group, to undertake the case study reports. To protect the integrity of the pūrākau and the voices of those interviewed, no changes were made to the kōrero of the participants.

Find out more on the Housing First page.