'No child should be sleeping in cars or sleeping rough' - Phil Goff launches Auckland region homelessness count

The Auckland region's first homeless count "Point in Time" has been launched today by Auckland City Council, who want to discover the "extent of the problem" in the region in an attempt to eliminate homelessness in the city. 

Mayor Phil Goff announced the count today. 

"It is shame for all of us, that in the biggest, the wealthiest city in a first world nation, we have a problem of homelessness," he told media. "No child should be sleeping in cars or sleeping rough."

"Yet, when I've walked around the city and down Federal Street, I and you, could witness it first-hand, people who slept over night out in the cold, under the rain, in circumstances that most of us in this room simply couldn't even imagine."

He said the extent of the problem needed to be uncovered to adequately address the issue. 

"Unless we know more about the dimensions of the problem, how can we properly plan to ensure what we are doing is making progress and is addressing that problem?"

"We're under no illusion there is a long, long way to go before we can be satisfied we are effectively tackling and on the path to eliminating homelessness. Hence we are launching today the first Auckland region homeless count that will seek at one point in time."

It will run from 9.30pm September 17 to 12.30am September 18. 

The survey will be funded by Auckland City Council's annual contribution to Housing First. 

They are looking for volunteers to help with the count, working in groups of three.