An artist's impression of what the sleeping pods for the homeless could have looked like. Photo / Supplied
The maker of sleeping pods designed to get the homeless off Rotorua’s CBD streets says he’s disappointed the idea was shut down before it took off.
Hilton McLachlan from Rotorua business Tuff Roto-Moulders said he worked with locals on designs for the sleeping pods, and sold some to charitable organisation Love Soup.
Love Soup used the pods at what was going to be its Village of Hope – a secret location near Rotorua that housed rough sleepers in the pods.
But soon after it got started, Rotorua Lakes Council emailed Love Soup manager, Julie King, to advise she needed to stop the practice immediately or risk enforcement action, given the pods did not have the proper consent.
The arrangement for iwi land Love Soup had planned to use then fell through, and that spelled the end of the pod proposal.
The council said it was prepared to work with Love Soup but had not heard from King since.
McLachlan said the council’s response should have been “how can we help?”
“It’s disheartening to see that while sleeping in a car, van or campervan is tolerated, purpose-built units designed for safety and dignity are met with opposition.”
McLachlan said his pods were based on a previous design for hunters who would go into the bush andsleep in the pods on the back of their trucks.
The homeless pods weighed about 75kg, were about 1.4m wide and 1.9m long and could sleep 1-2 adults or two smaller adults plus a child.
He said they sold for about $2500 each, were made of polyethylene and had insulation and ventilation. The business, which has operated since 1971, also made products such as water tanks, camping canopies, boat seats and garden ponds.
Love Soup had two of the eight pods it originally ordered, but he said he was not worried about recouping his costs.
McLachlan said he would be able to sell the other six off for King if she could not use them.
“It was just something I thought the homeless could use to shelter themselves for the night.
“Surely anything is better than sleeping on the ground under a plastic sheet.
“These are not radical ideas – they’re practical, compassionate and proven to work.
“It’s time for councils to stop putting up roadblocks and start working with those who are trying to help.”
King said they were still housing five streeties at the Village of Hope.
Love Soup volunteers picked them up from the CBD in the later stage of the afternoon and took them to the secret location, where King said they were supervised for the night by vetted helpers.
She said they were still using two of the pods and donated caravans but plans for a larger “village” were on hold.
King previously said it was her original vision to have the pods connected on a wooden veranda with toilet facilities at the end, but this changed after the council’s enforcement warning and when the arrangement to use iwi land fell through.
The idea came as Rotorua was looking for solutions to house homeless people living in makeshift camps on CBD streets as winter arrived.
The behaviour of some in the group prompted complaints from businesses in the area.
A Rotorua Lakes Council spokesperson said nobody wanted people to sleep rough and its staff, the police and other groups encouraged people to take up the help and support that was available, including housing.
“We have told the group we are happy to work with them, but have not heard back from them.”
The spokesperson said the council believed, from what they understood of the idea, it would likely require some sort of consent, but without details or an application, the council was unable to provide proper advice.
“We have not declined any invitation to collaborate with the group but, as we’ve explained, we have no details to go on. We are happy to work directly with the group if they wish to provide details so we can properly assess what might be required.”
The council spokesperson said it had a legal responsibility for public safety and regulations relating to accommodation were about protecting people.
“We cannot knowingly ignore the regulations.”
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.