Some senior students in south Auckland are now working to support their families - rather than returning to school after the lockdown

The Government's announced a 52 million dollar urgent response fund to help address the issue of young people with a history of poor school attendance.

Strive Community Trust spokeswoman Levonne Grant says local principals have told of students who're working to help their families, where a parent has lost a job.

She says some other families living in transitional housing don't want to enrol their children into local schools until they have a permanent home.

She says the cost of uniforms and stationery is another dilemma that holds them back from enrolling their children.

Levonne Grant says some families still have safety concerns around covid-19.