But those contracts had dwindled during the past few years as emergency housing wound down.<\/p>\n
The trust announced with \u201cgreat sadness\u201d Mana Aroha\u2019s planned closure in June.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the past six years, we have delivered this non-contracted service to support some of the most vulnerable members of our community, driven by compassion, commitment, and the belief that everyone deserves dignity, care, and connection.\u201d<\/p>\n
The trust said Mana Aroha was a place of kindness, belonging, and hope.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, without funding, we can no longer financially sustain the service, and this has been an incredibly difficult decision considered over a long period of time. Our greatest concern is for those who rely on this support.\u201d<\/p>\n
The trust sought partners, funders, and organisations that might want to support keeping Mana Aroha open through funding or by taking over the service.<\/p>\n
What the homeless say<\/p>\n
Homeless people the Rotorua Daily Post spoke to outside the service were upset.<\/p>\n
Many said they relied on the showers and laundry service daily to stay clean on the streets.<\/p>\n
One woman, who only wanted to be known as Gene, said she had lived on the streets for many months and regularly used the service.<\/p>\n
She was now in backpacker accommodation, but still used the service because she could not afford laundry vending machines.<\/p>\n
She feared what would happen if the estimated 30 to 40 people a day who used the showers could not wash themselves or their clothes.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo they want a smelly Rotorua or what?\u201d<\/p>\n
She said, despite perceptions about the homeless, at least their bodies and clothes were clean.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey moan about the homeless<\/a> making a big mess, but the homeless are doing their best to keep the city clean. This is the only facility the homeless has as a go-to. If they take this away, they have got nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n Support for the service<\/p>\n Salvation Army community ministries manager Darnielle Hoods said the closure would have a \u201creal impact\u201d on vulnerable people.<\/p>\n \u201cServices like this are not just about showers or clean clothes. They are about dignity, connection, and trust. When services close, people don\u2019t disappear; they just become less visible and more vulnerable. This should be concerning for us.\u201d<\/p>\n She said such facilities were often the first step toward deeper support, such as housing and wellbeing.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout them, people can become more isolated, and pressure shifts on to other already stretched services, and if we remove the places that hold people with care, that pressure will show up elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Rotorua retailer Mike Steiner, who owns nearby Steiners \u2013 Interiors by Reputation, said he did not want the service to close.<\/p>\n This was despite homeless people loitering, sleeping and defecating near his store.<\/p>\n He said the homeless might move on from the central city as a result, but it was not solving the overall problem.<\/p>\n \u201cAll we are doing is shifting people from pillar to post. We are not looking at a solution for the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Steiner said it was a complex situation.<\/p>\n \u201cI drive past at night and see them all sleeping in the doorways, in my doorways, and it\u2019s upsetting and intimidating … at least there was a place they could clean themselves and shower.\u201d<\/p>\n Tiny Deane moves on<\/p>\n Deane stepped aside<\/a> last October when contracted emergency housing wound down.<\/p>\n