No place to call home: Timaru’s increasing homeless problem

Concerns about the welfare of an increasing number of people sleeping rough in Timaru have prompted a meeting of South Canterbury social agencies.

And Timaru’s mayor says following the community welfare response forum this week, he will advocate for much-needed transitional housing in the region, which has none. For some living in the area homelessness was now “very much a reality”, he said.

Nigel Bowen said the forum was held after the Timaru District Council compliance officers reported an increase in the number of people sleeping rough over the past six months.

Strathallan St in Timaru, the Caroline Bay car park and other townships in the district, including Winchester, had all been identified as areas where homeless people were sleeping.

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“We thought, ‘there’s an issue here, how do we deal with it?’,’’ Bowen said.

Environment Canterbury was also represented at the forum as staff had also noticed people sleeping rough in the district, with some seen sleeping in riverbeds.

The issue was a complex one – some who were homeless were doing so by choice, others had nowhere else to go, or no-one to turn to, Bowen said.

While figures showed spending is still strong in South Canterbury, for others the cost of living crisis and a lack of housing in the area had been dire.

Agencies represented at the forum included Multicultural Aoraki, Te Aitarakihi, Environment Canterbury, Presbyterian Support South Canterbury Family Works, and The Salvation Army.

Bowen said those at the meeting raised concerns about how to go about getting homeless people the help they needed.

He said council staff and its Safer Communities committee would “lead that referral pathway’’.

While it was a health issue and a social issue, Bowen said there was also already a huge demand for housing in the region.

Projects such as the Scott Base build in Timaru would also have an impact, he said.

The shortage of housing in South Canterbury has already been highlighted by Venture Timaru’s Nigel Davenport, as well as recruitment agent Leon Hobbs who said rental shortages are forcing workers who could help ease South Canterbury’s labour shortage to take roles in other centres.

Bowen said the infrastructure projects were “really positive for the economy, but it puts more pressure on the Ministry of Social Development [MSD]’’, as more housing was needed.

Have you had any experience with homelessness in South Canterbury? Email: rachael.comer@stuff.co.nz.

With no transient housing in the region, Bowen said he would talk directly with MSD and members of parliament.

“We don’t have transient housing in Timaru and that is a real need.’’

He said data would also be collated to back up calls for more help, as “we need that outside investment so much’’.

Key housing strategies and social need would also need to be considered within the council’s district planning, he said.

While many South Canterbury residents would have no idea of the homeless issue, Bowen said it was “very much a reality’’.

“Many will think the issue doesn’t belong in rural New Zealand, but it is quite real here.

“As we come into winter we certainly don’t want people sleeping rough.’’

Environment Canterbury South Canterbury service delivery leader Brian Reeves said staff attended the forum “as the regional environmental regulator, to share our experiences around the issue of homelessness”.

“This mainly involves working with people staying in vehicles on land beside rivers, as this can be dangerous for them when water levels rise,’’ Reeves said.

“While the welfare response to this issue is beyond the scope of our work as a regional council, when we do respond to reports of this nature, our staff always offer support to access social services that can help.”

Multicultural Aoraki manager Katy Houstoun said the forum had been a positive step towards discussing an emerging issue in the community and to work out what could be done.