Tighter emergency housing rules blamed as homelessness grows

Community leaders say growing homelessness is linked to stricter emergency housing rules, with about a third of emergency housing applications to the Ministry of Social Development being declined each month, RNZ reports. This editorial would probe whether recent rule changes are pushing vulnerable people onto the streets, examine the balance between eligibility controls and urgent humanitarian need, and consider practical reforms — from reversing damaging eligibility thresholds to boosting supply of affordable and supported housing — that would relieve pressure on families and communities.