Code of Practice for Transitional Housing Consultation

Summary 

1. The Salvation Army Te Ope Whakaora supports the introduction of a Code of Practice (COP) for transitional housing. The draft Code is overall a good basis to work from but further changes to clarify it are needed. 
2. The COP will require the funders to be proactive in monitoring TH providers to ensure they are complying with the code’s provisions. 
3. Housing agreements are essential for all TH and interpreters available for those who need this. 
4. An important part of the mission of The Salvation Army is creating environments that are free of alcohol and drugs. The COP needs to be able to recognise such restrictions as reasonable in the context of our wrap-around support services. 
5. The Salvation Army supports making the Health Homes Standards a requirement of the COP and there should not be a blanket exemption for motels and boarding houses. 
6. The Salvation Army strongly disagrees with the language of ‘three-strikes’ being applied ending occupancy TH. In a context of wrap-around support other approaches need to be emphasised as best practice that involve working with people to seek an alternative outcome. 
7. Robust and readily available dispute resolution services are crucial, and we support these being coordinated by HUD to ensure national coverage and that TH providers be reimbursed for costs involved. Advocacy services to support people in TH to access dispute resolution should also be funded to help achieve fair outcomes. 

 

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