UPDATED 3.08pm Homeless families and volunteers at Te Puea Marae were stunned by a lightning visit by Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett this morning.

Mrs Bennett met one homeless mother, but barely had time to say hello to volunteers in a 20-minute visit that started at 8.30am.

"She was in a hurry!" one volunteer commented.

But Marae chairman Hurimoana Dennis said the minister had delivered the extra help she pledged for the Marae when she met Mr Dennis at a cafe last Friday.

"Everything she said she was going to do has actually happened," he said.

"Her staff have already arrived and we have a bigger lot coming in tomorrow."

The Marae has taken in 55 families and individuals since it opened its doors to the homeless last month.

Thirty people, including five families and two individuals, stayed at the Marae last night and a father with five children came in this morning.

The Marae has helped 27 families and individuals to move on to social housing, places in families' homes and motels.

Manukau Urban Māori Authority has found jobs for several of the adults, and Whānau Ora services are being offered to all the families.

Mrs Bennett said she just wanted to check that the support she had offered was coming through.

"We have provided them with direct assistance for the housing assessments with a relatively senior person here every day," she said.

She wanted to make sure homeless people were linked to other public services such as education, social work and counselling.

"In some respects people feel more comfortable here, Māori to Māori," she said.

Mrs Bennett said she's concentrating on having people staying at the marae for the shortest time possible - and also seeing they have the right support while they're staying there.

"Which is the social services that are really being wrapped around. They've asked for help with counselling, asked for help with probation for some of the people here."

She said the Government was "pulling all levers" to solve the homeless crisis, including providing 120 extra places for emergency housing in Auckland earlier this year and a further 360 beds now out for tender.

The Budget also provided funding for a further 750 social housing units in Auckland through another tender process.

She said other options were also being examined.

Labour's Andrew Little said he's pleased Paula Bennett's stopped running away from the problem.

"The issue is there you've got families there, and I met some of them, and you've got 30 kids and what they actually want is their own place, their own home and a bit of stability in their lives. Good on the minister but the real challenge for her is to get off her chuff and to do something and get them into houses."