Hikoi of hope for the homeless
The brother of a homeless man who died outside a South Auckland church wants better facilities to be provided for homeless people.
Haami Manahi, 59, was found lying dead on concrete steps at the back of Manurewa Methodist Parish on July 11.
Keith Johnson, 57, died on a park bench in a cemetery in Onehunga on July 1.
Toko Manahi, brother of Haami Manahi, said it was tragic that it had taken two deaths to get people to take a stand.
‘‘We don’t live in a Third World country, there should be more attention paid to homeless people.’’
Manahi was at a Hikoi of Hope for Homelessness that made its way through the Manurewa shops on July 29.
The hikoi followed the deaths of the two homeless men in Auckland in the past month.
Among those who marched at the hikoi were homeless residents, some even travelling from west Auckland to show their support.
Rob Marriner lived on the street for 30 years and only recently started living at a permanent address.
‘‘A lot of people promise us food and homes and that sort of thing and it rarely eventuates.’’
Manahi described his older brother as his role model and was shocked when he learned he was homeless. He said his brother had needed accommodation and better care for his mental illness.
‘‘He wasn’t getting help with his mental illness, he was medicating himself with cannabis and alcohol.’’
Reverend Vaitu’ulala Ngahe of the Manurewa Methodist Parish said he wanted the community to understand the extent of the issue.
‘‘This is about making everyone aware of what’s really happening on our streets and saying we will not allow one more homeless person to die,’’ he said.
Ngahe said he believed a building to provide shelter for the homeless was a priority.
‘‘They need a place so they can do the very basics like having a shower or brush their teeth.’’
Louisa Wall, MP for Manurewa, who attended the hikoi, said it would take innovation to break down the barriers preventing people from accessing the help they needed.
‘‘If you don’t have an address you can’t get a benefit so I think it’s time there was a new way of thinking around some of these issues.’’