Colin Scott grateful for Rotorua night shelter

At 72-years-old Colin Scott is one of the oldest patrons of Rotorua's night shelter. Photo / Alice Guy

At 72, Colin Scott is one of the oldest patrons of Rotorua's night shelter and he says he is lucky and grateful to be there.

Scott was living in a rental property, on the pension, when his landlord told him it was for sale.

With no luck finding another home, he turned to friends for help, but that didn't work out either.

"They were drinking too much for my liking and kept trying to charge me more and more to stay there, while I am on a fixed pension."

He looked into organisations that could help him and the night shelter was on the list of recommendations.

"I come from a large family background. Life was always whānau-oriented and I grew up under the same roof as all of my cousins. Being here is a lot like that.

"It's still all about communication and company and there are lots of opportunities to get to know each other."

Coming up to the night shelter at the end of the day was like coming home, he said.

"It's warm and it's comfortable and I think it's having a really good impact on the homeless.

"They have a lot of respect for the elderly and they always check how I am, it's 'haere mai koro, cut to the front of the line'.

"There is a lot of courtesy here, some of them are a bit rough around the edges but that's just part of today's world."

He said listening to them talk among themselves, he knew they were doing much better now than they were four weeks ago.

"They're taking in what's been said to them and I see the results sinking in.

"Especially with the younger generation, some of them think they know everything and they're learning they don't know a damn thing."

Scott said it would be a shame to see the shelter close on November 1 because it's a "stepping stone for people to get real guidance".

"There's a lot of benefit coming out of it.

"I am just so lucky and grateful to be here."