Whare for homeless elderly officially opens in Tauranga

Whare Patariki, a mini-retirement village, has opened in Tauranga. Photo / Luke Kirkness

A "mini-retirement village" needed to support the growing number of homeless elderly in Tauranga has officially opened.

The Tauranga transitional home, run by Te Tuinga Whānau Support Service Trust, can accommodate up to five individuals.

It has been named Whare Patariki, in honour of a homeless pensioner living in a transitional housing motel who died alone in March and was found four days later.

Te Tuinga Whanau Support Services executive director Tommy Wilson. Photo / File

Executive director Tommy Wilson said Patrick's death was the "tipping point" in motivating the trust to create a safe facility where the elderly could live in a communal environment.

It brought about the realisation that some vulnerable old people were "too whakamā [shy] to reach out" and spaces like this were needed to support them.

The trust had initially lined up a 90-year-old Airbnb villa in Pillans Pt for the facility, but ended up unable to afford rent.

Yesterday's opening was the starting point in addressing the growing problem of "more and more elderly who have nowhere to go".

The five-bedroom whare would "markedly improve" the health and wellbeing of residents, with a full-time staff member onsite to triage and care for them, he said.

It had a large kitchen and living area and residents would eat and live alongside each other.

Wilson said it was a cross between a retirement village and a retirement home, but the "point of difference" was tikanga (custom), which would be ingrained into the whare's culture.

The living area inside the transitional house. Photo / Luke Kirkness

"It's a space to breathe and not be fearful of not having anywhere to live."

Two residents, aged 76 and 78, live there right now and he expects the rest of the rooms will "fill up pretty quick".

"These treasures should not be left alone in the cold with nowhere to call home. And we as a society have to do something about that. Today was a start of that."

He described the landlords as "beautiful people" who wanted to make a difference in these challenging times and hoped it would inspire other property owners to rent their homes for this purpose.

"It sends a message to our community that we can take care of anyone if we do it together."

Wilson previously said the elderly "needed to be around others ... like a mini-retirement village for the homeless".

Landlords Neville and Catherine Dunton agreed it was "really gratifying" to work in partnership with TTW, saying they also took the pressure off when it came to managing tenants.

The pair had previously used the space as an office.

"It's been very easy as a landlord ... an additional benefit to us is that we are really doing something good for a vulnerable group. As it's not hard work - they are self-managing and pay their rent on time," Catherine said.

A bedroom within Whare Patariki. Photo / Luke Kirkness

The Bay of Plenty Times previously reported Patrick arrived at TTW nearly two years ago and was put into the RSA motel before moving to a house with four other men. He then moved to a single unit in another motel for 18 months.

Patrick was 72 years old when he died alone in his unit.

Peter Williams was Patrick's social worker for a time, although not when he died.

Williams remembers Patrick as a "lovely" gentleman, "always looking out for and helping others".

He was well-known and "respected" at most of the homeless meals around the city, Williams said. Representatives from a range of services, as well as people who used the meals, attended his funeral.

Patrick was "kind-hearted" and generous with his time and would help with the meals at Under the Stars and St Peter's church when he went along, Williams said.

"When I first heard what had happened, I was gobsmacked.

"Sadly he'd had little contact with his family for a number of years."

Williams said Patrick's death highlighted the fears of older people in transitional housing about dying alone.

Williams had been working with the elderly for two years and said most were disconnected from their families for a range of reasons and had no one checking in on them.

"They're lonely, they're isolated, and quite often they're struggling financially because the pension isn't enough to survive on."