Homeless trust wound up

Night Shelter Trust and Society have tried a variety of ways to meet the needs of the homeless.

A trust set up to find a permanent shelter for Rotorua's homeless has been wound up, with a new "multi-agency approach" taking its place.

The Rotorua Lakes Council-funded Night Shelter Trust and Society was assigned to look after the city's homeless, but faced public criticisms over its tenure.

It was granted $30,000 a year for three years to fund an accommodation facility, but did not use any of the funding for that purpose.

The council's projects manager Carole Parker said the funding was absorbed elsewhere, funding short-term accommodation, advocacy and an administrator for six months to assist homeless people with accommodation.

"To date approximately $30,000 of the original funding has been allocated," she said.

"The council subsequently agreed to make some of the funding available to help provide short-term emergency accommodation for people in need.

"Funding was also made available to the Rotorua Community Night Shelter group to employ an administrator for a six-month period to assist homeless people with finding accommodation, to meet the cost of some emergency accommodation, and to provide advocacy for the homeless."

She said the funding period would expire at the end of June and any future funding would be subject to council budget decisions for the next long-term plan.

The council had hosted three forums to help understand all the issues and identify potential solutions to homelessness in the area, Ms Parker said.

They were now taking a multi-agency approach.

"Late last year a group was formed comprising representatives of the various community organisations, and that team of people is now working closely together to address issues relating to people without homes.

"The group is led by Lifewise, a community organisation focussed on solutions for challenging social issues, including those relating to the homeless.

"The council has also provided funding to the Salvation Army for work they are undertaking to assist homeless people with emergency accommodation."

Night Shelter Trust and Society spokesman Alex Czerwonka said over the years the society, which met in January to confirm a resolution to wind up the organisation, had tried a variety of ways to meet the needs of the homeless.

"The principal reason for winding up was that there was now an effective multi-agency approach emerging to help homeless people find the support they need."

Ms Parker said Rotorua had people "living rough", although numbers were unknown.