'Reach out to support agencies directly if you have concerns of rough sleepers in cars': Auckland Council

Woman had been sleeping in this Suzuki Swift since March, locals said. Photo / Michael Craig

Auckland Council is reviewing reporting processes to ensure that its teams are better prepared to respond to calls about people sleeping in cars.

Last week, a woman found dead in a car in Remuera had been wrongly categorised as a freedom camper following complaints made to the council.

However a council spokeswoman would not reveal the number of complaints the council had received about people sleeping in vehicles, saying it would "not paint an accurate picture" on the city's homelessness.

"We urge caution when making broad assumptions about people sleeping in cars," she said.

"Freedom camping, where people passing through a location choose to spend the night or two nights in a vehicle, is a common occurrence and is permitted in certain locations."

Police cordon after woman's body found in car in Remuera. Photo / Michael Craig

She said the council's compliance team monitors freedom camping and responds when an issue or situation is raised.

Last week the council's compliance response and investigations manager Kerri Fergusson said the woman found dead in her car was mistaken as a freedom camper.

The woman is believed to be in her 70s and was believed to have been using her Suzuki Swift as her home. Local residents said she had been sleeping in the car since March.

The council got a complaint about the car on St Vincent Ave in May and several follow-ups after that.

"We mistaken categorised and later closed (the complaint) as an incidence of freedom camping - rather than a situation that required escalation," Fergusson said at the time.

The spokeswoman said that while the council was not an organisation equipped to deal with the welfare or mental health needs of individuals, it has established relationships with support agencies and plays a support role to those agencies – in a more "behind the scenes" manner.

She said responses are managed on a case-by-case basis as they recognise that effective outreach takes time, is specific and focused on the individual.

"Issues of homelessness also occurs across the region and various agencies respond to reports of rough sleeping in cars," she said.

"On many occasions, support services will work together to notify each other of, or resolve, an issue.

"Due to these nuances, it would not paint an accurate picture to simply collate figures based on complaints."

The spokeswoman urged people to reach out to social support agencies directly if they had concerns about rough sleepers or homelessness as many people in these situations are well known to those agencies.

Police said after the body was found that the death was not suspicious and the matter will be referred to the Coroner.