Zizi Sparks: We can't fix child poverty with band-aids
22 Dec, 2020 05:00 PM
2 minutes to read
Some young people will spend this Christmas on the streets.
Others will spend it in emergency housing - in a hotel room living out of a suitcase.
And some may spend it milling about
in a park or reserve, or on a friend's sofa.
They are New Zealand's homeless. And according to a Ministry of Housing and Urban Development report, they may make up more than half the nation's homeless population.
The report showed 51 per cent of homeless people in New Zealand were under 25.
Under 25 could mean early 20s. Or it could mean an infant with their family, living on the streets or without a permanent home.