Trust offers haven in inner-city for Rotorua strugglers
Shelter organiser says help is still at hand despite its shutdown
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Greg Murphy 07 577 3462
Rotorua’s central-city homeless shelter might be all packed up and gone but those needing to shower, wash their clothes or get new or used clothes for a koha can still drop in.
Visions of a Helping Hand Trust, which ran the controversial innercity night shelter, has let the lease on its shelter building expire and all of its furniture and equipment has been moved out.
But Tiny Deane, who runs the trust, said it was still operating its support services from the building next door.
He said anyone still sleeping rough or having a hard time could use the laundromat services, showers and access cheap new or used clothing.
The night shelter and women’s and children’s shelter on Tarewa Rd, which is also run by the trust, were forced to shut on March 25 when New Zealand went into lockdown, because communal living arrangements weren’t allowed during alert level 4.
All rough sleepers, including those living in tents throughout the city, were rounded up by government services and moved into motels.
News of the night shelter’s permanent closure two weeks ago came as a relief for struggling inner-city business owners who have argued it wasn’t a good look for the central city.
The trust is now operating out of two four-star motels on Fenton St — Emerald Spa Resort and Tuscany Villas — where they are looking after people who used to use their shelters.
Deane said there would be no changes to the current arrangement despite moving to alert level 2 two weeks ago. Before that the Government was reported as saying it intended to keep homeless in motels until at least next April.
Deane said the trust was still finding work for the homeless and helping them move into homes as housing became available.
Deane said the system at the motels worked because, with tight security, the trust could more closely help those in need.
However, he said, there was still a need for the laundry and shower services and the trust would keep that building open.
New clothing had also been donated by organisations such as The Warehouse, Postie and Wild Kiwi and the trust accepted good used clothing and goods from members of the public. All donated items were offered for a koha.
“It’s great because you might be able to get a new pair of jeans for $2.”
Social service agencies throughout the country have been reported as saying the nation’s homeless problem has been all but eliminated thanks to the lockdown.
Charities in other cities which have a lot of homelessness, including Tauranga, Auckland and Wellington, say only a handful of people are left on the streets in all of the major centres, some of whom had refused help.
A preliminary study by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development found that 1400 people in insecure housing around New Zealand were moved into motels during the Covid-19 lockdown to prevent them from contracting or spreading the virus. Around 640 of them had been sleeping on the street or in a car.
Housing Minister Megan Woods told the NZ Herald last week the Government would guarantee them accommodation until at least April.
It has put aside $107 million to house 1200 people, which Woods said would allow “breathing room” for permanent houses to be found.
Around 400 people nationwide are no longer expected to need their motel rooms once New Zealand is in alert level 1.