Printed from https://fyi.org.nz./request/28782-number-of-beneficiary-no-fixed-abode-addresses-in-database-as-of-now?unfold=1 on November 22, 2024 01:51

Number of beneficiary No fixed abode addresses in database as of now

Miss W. Forest made this Official Information request to Ministry of Social Development

The request was refused by Ministry of Social Development.

From: Miss W. Forest

Dear Ministry of Social Development,

Please provide as of when ever you perform the query -

The total number of clients who have No fixed abode as their residential address regardless what their mailing address and where they receive at least one main benefit.

This should be a simple database query.

Yours faithfully,

Miss W. Forest

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From: OIA_Requests (MSD)
Ministry of Social Development

Tēnā koe Miss W. Forest,

Thank you for your email received 17 October 2024, under the Official Information Act 1982. Your request has been forwarded to the appropriate officials at National Office to respond.

Ngā manaakitanga,

Official Information Team | Ministerial and Executive Services
Ministry of Social Development

Our Purpose:
We help New Zealanders to help themselves to be safe, strong and independent
Ko ta mātou he whakamana tangata kia tū haumaru, kia tū kaha, kia tū motuhake

-----Original Message-----
From: Miss W. Forest <[FOI #28782 email]>
Sent: Thursday, October 17, 2024 2:42 AM
To: OIA_Requests (MSD) <[MSD request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Number of beneficiary No fixed abode addresses in database as of now

Dear Ministry of Social Development,

Please provide as of when ever you perform the query -

The total number of clients who have No fixed abode as their residential address regardless what their mailing address and where they receive at least one main benefit.

This should be a simple database query.

Yours faithfully,

Miss W. Forest

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This email and any attachments may contain information that is confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or duplication of this email and attachments is prohibited. If you have received this email in error please notify the author immediately and erase all copies of the email and attachments. The Ministry of Social Development accepts no responsibility for changes made to this message or attachments after transmission from the Ministry.

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From: OIA_Requests (MSD)
Ministry of Social Development

Attachment 20241025 OIA Response FOREST.pdf
177K Download View as HTML

Tçnâ koe Miss W. Forest

 

Please find attached the Ministry’s response to your Official Information
Act request.

 

Nâ mâtou noa, nâ

 

Official Information Team   |  Ministerial and Executive Services

Ministry of Social Development

 

Our Purpose:
We help New Zealanders to be safe, strong and independent
Manaaki Tangata, Manaaki Whânau

 

This email and any attachments may contain information that is
confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you are not the intended
recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or duplication of this
email and attachments is prohibited. If you have received this email in
error please notify the author immediately and erase all copies of the
email and attachments. The Ministry of Social Development accepts no
responsibility for changes made to this message or attachments after
transmission from the Ministry.

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Miss W. Forest left an annotation ()

Addresses are stored on a client’s file in multiple free-text fields. This means that staff are not restricted to standardised selections when inputting a client’s address, such as a ‘no fixed abode’ option. As staff may choose to write freely into these fields, there is not a central way to collate this information based on a ‘no fixed abode’ option – for example, staff may write other statuses such as ‘not known’ or may spell text incorrectly.

In order to provide you with this information, the Ministry would need to divert personnel from their core duties to confirm the addresses are in a standardised format. The diversion of these resources would impair the Ministry’s ability to continue standard operations and would be an inefficient use of the Ministry’s resources. As such, your request is refused under section 18(f) of the Act, as it requires substantial collation. The greater public interest is in the effective and efficient administration of the public service.

I have considered whether the Ministry would be able to respond to your requests given extra time, or the ability to charge for the information requested. I have concluded that, in either case, the Ministry’s ability to undertake its work would still be prejudiced.
Although it does not specify whether people are on a main benefit, it may be helpful to know that the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) publishes the total population of people experiencing homelessness, broken down by ethnicity and region, on their website, at the following link: www.hud.govt.nz/stats-and- insights/homelessness-outlook/homelessness-indicators.

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