A councillor has taken a swing at Dunedin’s homeless, saying he sees bad behaviour daily and any support the council offered was likely to be fruitless.<\/p>\n
Cr Brent Weatherall was responding to criticism from a homeless advocate that the council was busy infighting when it should be implementing solutions.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018As a retailer, I speak to homeless people every day. I also speak to the police regularly regarding bad behaviour, which I see daily.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
He added many homeless people were not prioritising their spending wisely.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Drugs, alcohol and cigarettes don’t come cheap.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
He disputed any suggestion the council was \u2018\u2018passing the buck\u2019\u2019 and while he supported a council-funded response, \u2018\u2018sadly, suppling [sic] an ambulance for those already at the bottom of the cliff may just end up being a fruitless exercise\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, the\u00a0Otago Daily Times\u00a0reported on an explosive email chain which revealed infighting between councillors over a planned homelessness outreach service.<\/p>\n
The council is yet to decide how it will tackle homelessness, and a call on the topic has been delayed, probably until April 23.<\/p>\n
Dunedin Bedding Bank founder Janine Walker was disappointed with the councillor infighting, and said while those at the top keep \u2018\u2018talking the talk\u2019\u2019, it was the smaller charities that were \u2018\u2018walking the walk\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018It’s us smaller guys that are doing this day to day, and all these others are just sitting behind a desk, thinking they know, but they don’t come out and see what’s going on.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
She said the answer to homelessness was not easy, and some of the people would need complete wraparound support.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Some of them don’t even know how to use a washing machine now. That’s something they need to be taught from basics.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
While councillors argued about solutions, nothing was getting done, and the real losers were the people who desperately needed support, she said.<\/p>\n
She estimated her charity fed anywhere between 50 and 130 people, and every week they dealt with about 200-250 people for a range of support.<\/p>\n
She said there were about six people sleeping rough in \u2018\u2018tent city\u2019\u2019 and another 24 she knew of sleeping in abandoned buildings around the city.<\/p>\n
There were also more people sleeping rough.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Anyone that wants to come out and spend a day with me, seeing what reality’s like, is welcome to \u2014 I open my doors for anybody to come along.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
When asked who was helping them, homeless people said it was Ms Walker and the Dunedin Bedding Bank.<\/p>\n
One tent-city resident, who declined to be named, said he had become homeless due to his mother dying.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Because of how I look … because of a life in and out of jail and gangs when I was much younger \u2014 no-one will give me a house or room.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
He said he had been staying out of trouble for a very long time, but because of his \u2018\u2018bad history\u2019\u2019 people did not believe he could change.<\/p>\n
Despite this, he was welcomed in, fed and clothed by the Dunedin Bedding Bank.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018I was welcomed in here by people that don\u2019t even know me.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Cr Doug Hall said the volunteers on the ground, such as Ms Walker, were entitled to be frustrated because they were the ones \u2018\u2018picking up the pieces\u2019\u2019 while the council circled the issue.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018I am deeply disappointed that the Housing Outreach Programme keeps being pushed out while the need in our city remains urgent and visible \u2014 at some point, delay becomes its own form of failure.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018While elected members argue, vulnerable people are left waiting, and community groups are left carrying a burden they should not be carrying alone.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Cr Mickey Treadwell, who took up Ms Walker\u2019s offer to spend the day with her doing homeless outreach, said he shared the frustrations with those \u2018\u2018doing real mahi on the ground\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018I do feel that we, as a council, have let down the homeless people in the city and I apologise unreservedly.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Mayor Sophie Barker said she had helped with a number of issues, and disagreed \u2018\u2018infighting\u2019\u2019 was the cause of the delay.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018Our focus is on coming up with the best solution, and while any delay is disappointing we\u2019ll be endeavouring to speed the process up from here to get a service up and running before winter.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2018It\u2019s disappointing the media seem determined to portray our genuine efforts in such a negative light.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n