Arts & Social Sciences
Te Kura Kete Aronui

Abstract

Simonsen, E.H. (1998). Emergency accommodation for young people in Hamilton documenting the need and evaluating the provision of services.

This study uses an action-oriented, collaborative approach to document the need for emergency accommodation for young people in Hamilton, and to evaluate the provision of past and present accommodation services for youth within Hamilton, and current emergency accommodation services outside of Hamilton. These research parameters were defined in collaboration with the Hamilton Youth Safe Housing Committee. Data was collected from a range of sources, beginning with a preliminary scoping of written documentation and discussions with service providers. Following this, interviews were conducted with 12 key informants who have been, or currently are, involved in the provision of youth accommodation services. Three focus group interviews, with 22 young people in all, were also conducted. The present study found that there is an urgent need for emergency accommodation for young people, a need which has been consistently identified for over a decade. In addition, it found youth accommodation services within Hamilton have a history of being under-funded and under-supported, which often led to the closure of facilities. Emergency accommodation services currently in operation outside of Hamilton also indicated similar problems. Participants measured the success of their services by their ability to provide a safe, positive environment for young people in need, with the goal of reuniting the young person with their family. Safety was also an important issue for young people, who indicated ideal emergency accommodation would also include a range of other services to meet their needs.