Relief for retailers, public as fewer beggars seen in Napier CBD

Marewa residents and business managers are reporting a decline in beggars. Photo / File

Community initiatives aimed at addressing Napier's homelessness problem are being hailed as a success, as residents and retailers report a decrease in antisocial behaviour.

Earlier last year actions to address begging in the CBD were increased after attention was drawn to the growing population of beggars and homeless, who had been blamed for increased disorderly behaviour in the CBD.

In response, the Napier City Council relaunched the Helping Hands Campaign, which encourages the community to stop giving money to beggars and instead support the agencies that help those in need.

Marewa Four Square owner CJ Fu said he hadn't seen many - if any - beggars in the past three months, whereas previously there would have been up to four beggars a day.

"The community push that has been made is really positive, particularly all the efforts every retailer has put in to tell the community not to give money to them."

He said they had received comments from people such as "I'm loving coming back to the shops again" and "we feel a lot safer around the shopping centre".

"Before, a lot of people refused to come here because some were definitely intimidated by the beggars," Mr Fu said.

"When the beggars were here, every one of us felt a hit. We saw a decline in customer count and turnover."

However, he said, the past three months had seen an increase in foot traffic which in turn helped with their books.

"It is really great to see that people are so much happier."

Similarly, Cafe Anatolia Marewa branch manager Dewan Chyon had noted an improvement, but it varied.

"Money doesn't work. They need counselling to learn how to spend money and around life in general."

Napier City Council manager community strategies Natasha Carswell echoed that message, noting the council had received excellent feedback from Marewa retailers.

"They are pleased with the campaign and the security patrols which, along with the efforts of the businesses, has seen begging almost disappear entirely from the shopping centre."

However, in the wider Napier area a group of four to six regular beggars remained, and others came and went during summer.

Ms Carswell said the council would review the street management programme in about a month and the Outreach Service was being evaluated. The supported living component of this has been in place for nearly six months.

The Government plans to provide 125 additional social housing places, indicating just over 40 will be in place by July, helping address the housing needs of those in transitional housing and prioritised for housing through the Ministry of Social Development.

"Entrenched rough sleepers often require intensive support to become ready to be housed. This support is currently being provided through the Outreach Service," Ms Carswell said.

The Outreach Service continues to work with people sleeping on the street, and the beggars are aware of the service.

Ms Carswell said two of the six beggars identified in Napier were housed last year through a joint effort from a few agencies, however, they chose to continue begging.

It is something Mr Fu wanted people to be more aware of.

"While they may say they are homeless, some of them are not. We try to emphasise that around here so that people know they're trying to get sympathy. If you want to help, there are other organisations."

Napier Mayor Bill Dalton said the problem didn't go away, but got shifted around the city.

"I was in town recently when the cruise ship was in and there must have been 10 or a dozen beggars in the CBD so sure the problem at the moment appears to have eased off in Marewa, but certainly the problem hasn't gone away."

However, Mr Dalton said people needed to put the problem in perspective as it was not particular to Napier alone.

"All the initiatives have helped. Some of these people are now housed and better off and are being helped to get benefits. There is also a bunch of people who have decided that this is the way they want to live and that is the one that is difficult to deal with."