Kelly Makiha: Why is Rotorua's homeless funding so much higher than Tauranga's?

Clients staying in emergency housing in the Fenton St area are coming to the attention of police. Photo / File

COMMENT

Between Rotorua and Tauranga more than $7.8 million of taxpayers' money has been spent on housing the homeless in motels and other temporary accommodation.

A bulk of that has been spent in Rotorua - $5.06m in fact.

Rotorua MP Todd McClay has again raised the question - why is Rotorua's amount of emergency housing support so high? He is concerned Rotorua is being used a "dumping ground" for the country's homeless simply because Rotorua has more motels.

In his opinion, the figures don't stack up because Tauranga has nearly twice as many people.

Police say some of those who are prepared to talk to them tell them they have come to Rotorua from out of town.

Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick has come out strongly in support of those who are fed up with the crime and bad behaviour from those staying in the motels, saying she's "very concerned" and we need to see some change.

She has said: "It's unacceptable and Rotorua can't - and won't - be a dumping ground for problems from other areas."

But then the Ministry of Social Development's regional commissioner Mike Bryant - whose organisation is at the coal face of putting the homeless into emergency housing - is adamant most of them are from Rotorua. He would know.

So what's the answer?

Chadwick is taking the residents' concerns about crime seriously and is now wanting the "facts on the table" and is calling a meeting.

She's recognised there needs to be a better way to co-ordinate all of the government agencies involved in helping and says the council can help organise that.

Prior to all the homeless people being put in motels just before lockdown, I, among many others in Rotorua, would drive past them on my way to work.

They were waking up in doorways on Pukuatua St, huddled under blankets at Kuirau Park or emerging from bushes where they had bunked down the night. They looked sad, cold and downtrodden.

I'd start the day feeling devastated that this was Rotorua, this was New Zealand.

They can't survive like that and in this country we owe it to all New Zealanders to be kind and do our best to ensure everyone has a roof over their head.

But once you get that roof, these people also owe it to New Zealanders to be grateful in return and treat that roof and those who live around them with respect and do their best to get back on their feet and pay their own way.