Letters: Homeless families need support not judgment

A property in Ohauiti is being used for transitional housing to house homeless people. Photo/File

Regarding the makeshift village for homeless in Ōhauiti (News, February 16),
I was saddened to read the comments by some of the neighbours.

The people who live there are some of the most lovely genuine people you'll come across.

A group I'm involved with started dropping food off regularly to them, a lot of nights the adults there would go hungry as the little food they did have they'd give to the children. I wonder if the neighbours realise how much more valuable the children on that land are than the market value of their house.

I was there the other day and talking to one of them he said they were hoping to have a big community barbecue. Let's think about this. They're in the depths of poverty, and they want to feed you.

Everyone loves these social initiatives; transitional facilities for the homeless are great just not in my neighbourhood.

I believe neighbours are worried about their comfortable bubble being popped. If that is the case, then we will never solve the crippling issues our society faces. (Abridged)

Nathan William Little
Tauranga

Bus lane

It's time to revisit the Hairini bus lane introduction. Even when a bus does use the bus lane they will be empty, in the meantime, the diverted traffic is adding to the congestion on the Maungatapu roundabout.

Both directions of the highway are congested. The $45m tunnel was sold by Transit NZ to clear their highway. Then they agree to shut the Hairini road, allowing TCC to put in a bus lane. Terrible decision, waste of asphalt.

Time to admit a mistake has been made and return the road for its original purpose. (Abridged)

W Sedcole
Maungatapu

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