Homeless-aid group to help destitute Kiwis flown from Oz

The Salvation Army has noticed a significant increase in the number of beggars on Melbourne's streets. Photo / Brett Phibbs

An Auckland agency for the homeless has offered to help destitute New Zealanders who are being sent home after falling on hard times in Australia.

Lifewise general manager John McCarthy said he rang the Melbourne charity Travellers Aid to offer support yesterday after a report that the agency had paid A$3900 ($5000) to fly 12 homeless Kiwis back to New Zealand in the past year.

"They indicated they are trying to ensure those returning are in contact with family and support agencies before they are sent back," he said.

But he said the Melbourne agency "sounded fairly pleased to hear that we could offer assistance if asked".

He said Lifewise could help people directly in Auckland and refer people to other agencies elsewhere.

Travellers Aid, founded in 1916 to help refugees from war-torn Europe, reported a 50 per cent jump in demand for its emergency relief programme which helped 9645 people who needed advice or emergency help in the past year, partly because of the international financial crisis.

The Melbourne Herald Sun linked the report with a doubling in the number of people charged with begging in Melbourne in the past four years and said the Salvation Army had noticed a significant increase in the number of beggars on the city's streets.

But Travellers Aid chief Jodie Willmer said she did not know of any beggars repatriated to New Zealand.

She said the agency had helped a handful of New Zealanders to return home, accounting for 12 out of the 1759 people given travel grants in the past year.

She said the agency never sent anyone to New Zealand unless the person wanted to come home and had friends or family willing to support them.

"Our role is very much about helping them work out what or who might be able to support them," she said.

The agency gave an example of "John", a man in his fifties who lost his job in New Zealand and spent his last pay on a ticket to Melbourne.

"He was actively looking for jobs in hospitality, but his food-handling certificate from New Zealand was not recognised in Australia, and he did not have the funds to enrol in a course to obtain an Australian qualification.

"He was also not eligible for [welfare] benefits in Australia."

"After some days of worrying and considering his options, he made the decision to go back to New Zealand. Travellers Aid rang around agencies to gather the funds for his airfare and finally managed to get John on a flight back to New Zealand," Ms Willmer said.

- additional reporting: NZPA