Plans Underway By City Leaders To Help Homeless

Work is underway to create a City Mission in Invercargill to look after the homeless and get them off the streets.

Southland Community Housing Group chair Margaret Cook addressed the council meeting today, to update councillors on the complex issue they had been working on for three years.

Waiting lists for housing was growing and the cohort of those who were not registered anywhere and just living rough was also on the rise, she said.

Shop doorways and the Langlands Hotel carpark were just some of the places the homeless were living, and Margaret accepted it was both a mixture of lifestyle choice and through unfortunate circumstances.

“We have a duty to look after them,” she said.

The housing group had started investigating a City Mission proposal like in Wellington and Dunedin, with the option of stand alone facilities as well.

Crs Lesley Cook and Tom Campbell were both on the housing group committee and were independently visiting other missions around the country to see how they were run.

Tom said the Dunedin one ran on $350,000 year, employed four people and many volunteers.

There were between 30 to 50 individuals that would benefit from a City Mission in Invercargill, where they could receive a hot meal, a bed for a few nights and some clean clothing.

Margaret acknowledged many would have complex social needs, addictions and financial problems, and said the best way to run the shelter was through a trust.

The Southland Community Law Centre had already volunteered to help establish this.

Mayor Nobby Clark questioned who would purchase the houses, and whether council would be involved, as well as how the accommodation would be managed.

“We are heavily invested in that and how that fits in our district plan,” he said.

Tiny homes on wheels that could be moved around was part of the transitional housing model proposed.

At its next quarterly meeting on December 7 the community housing group would discuss what made a successful night shelter and what the pitfalls might be.

“Two winters ago I wanted to have something done…and I’m not going through another one,” Margaret said.