4
2008
Auckland City – The Homeless ‘Problem’
An article by 
According to the New Zealand Herald today, Citizen’s and Ratepayers councillors on Auckland City Council formed the majority in a vote recently to move forward in developing a bylaw to force the homeless away from inner city streets. The development of the bylaw comes with a $50,000 spend, a contrast to the hault on spending in many other areas that has been put forward by the Mayor and his council. Interestingly Mayor John Banks has stated that he does not support the development of the bylaw and would rather see a strengthening of unity amongst the groups that deal with the social issues associated with homelessness. It is rare for the Mayor to disagree with C & R.
The move towards the bylaw is being spearheaded by councillor and community services chairman, Paul Goldsmith. Mr Goldsmith is quoted in the article as saying this move is not being put in place to demonise the homeless and that the council would still be pursuing a ‘homeless action plan’ in conjunction with the police, City Mission and other groups to reduce the level of homelessness in the city, but that this was being put in place to deal with the present problem of people lying on mattresses in the main street of Auckland – Queen St.
I would like to state that I support the mayor’s position – a greater unity between groups dealing with the social issues to truly deal with the things causing homelessness. Mr Goldsmith’s proposal shows a lack of understanding of why some homeless people ‘choose’ inner cities as their place of dwelling. By pushing them out of the inner city, it may remove the sight that simply makes many people uncomfortable, but it will not solve any problems and will inevitably make life harder for many homeless people.
I am no expert, but I am aware of what inner city dwelling provides for many homeless people:
1) inner cities provide income. Inner cities provide plenty of foot traffic even late into the night. Foot traffic represents people the homeless can request money from.
2) Inner cities provide a level of safety. Whilst rough sleeping could never be deemed safe, inner cities provide an element of safety because of their busy nature. If someone is sleeping in a busy street they are less likely to be beaten up or even killed because there are ever present witnesses.
3) Inner cities are a wealth of resource. Alongside the shelters and Christian missions that are often located in inner cities, providing shelter and food for the homeless through the charitable giving of others, inner city waste is often a gold mine when searching for food and clothing. The back of food shops and their bins often provide food needs when the days unsold food is thrown out and the rubbishes of inner city apartments can often provide other needed requirements such as clothing.
4) Inner cities provide a level of social engagement for the homeless, they have others in similar life circumstances that they can bond with. Such social bonds are a needed human requirement.
Pushing the homeless out of the inner city removes these things, or makes it harder for them to access them - basic needs to survive when one is in a situation of rough sleeping.
Without addressing these and without addressing the social issues surrounding homelessness, the problems will not be solved, they will simply be shifted and what is already a hard way to live will only be made harder.
Might I also suggest that if the council wishes to addresses issues such as pools of urine in the streets then they need to look at the bigger issue of drunkenness in the inner city that often results in violence and animalistic behaviour amongst large groups of people who usually aren’t homeless. I’m guessing that’s a tougher issue to tackle though, whereas the homeless could be argued to be a relatively easy target.
About the Author: Frank Ritchie
Frank is the Education and Advocacy Manager for TEAR Fund NZ. Frank is a licensed Minister in the Wesleyan Methodist Church of New Zealand and has a keen interest in biblical perspectives of Justice and how this connects to service to, with and for the poor, disadvantaged and marginalized people of the world.
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Well said. The attitude shown by the Council is appalling – it’s doing nothing to help the problem, just trying to make it not the Council’s. For once I’m in agreement with John Banks.
Reading the comments on the Herald site is quite astounding. They range from ‘these people need help and care and moving them on won’t solve anything’ (which I agree with) to ‘they are lazy, useless drunks and should be put in jail’. It’s frightening to hear how callous some people are.
My question though is what my personal response to homeless people should be. Should I give them money to help them or does that just encourage them to stay on the street, perhaps giving to the city Mission or Salvation Army would be a better idea. I have thought that I could buy one lunch, but not knowing how they would respond is a bit intimidating. Which is probably why I’ve never done it. I have to admit that that most of I time I just walk past. What could or should our personal response be?
Mike, it’s interesting to see John Banks parting ways with the other councilors on this. I would be interested to hear more of his thoughts.
Christian, great questions and I love your honesty.
I’m not sure just handing money to someone is always the wisest option, though I think there is certainly a place for it to be given…. not so much for the financial benefit, but as an opportunity to show that we care.
I wonder how powerful it would be if handing over a few dollars was more about having an opportunity to sincerely ask “how are you doing?” and let that lead into a conversation where we really listen and where the money is simply the price we pay for an ice-breaker and gives us an opportunity to connect on more than a beggar and passer-by level.
I think supporting the Sallies and the City Mission are wise investments, especially as the City Mission is working towards a shelter at the moment.
I can understand that feeling of intimidation since I feel it as well. I was pondering this last night as my 2 year old daughter encountered Santa for the first time. She stuck close to her mother and was clearly nervous.
We’re not the type of parents to force her onto Santa’s lap (and frankly, the less she buys into the charade the better in my mind) but I watched and noted that as she became more familiar with him, she was more willing to venture forward and take the ice-block that was on offer and was being handed out to all the children. Of course, she did so in her mothers arms and knowing her dad was ready to take down this strange man if he even hinted at doing anything that wasn’t cool.
What was she scared of? She was apprehensive because he was unknown (and I like that she’s cautious with people she doesn’t know), he looked strange, but ultimately she was apprehensive because he was different.
We’re the same with the homeless. They’re different and unknown and that naturally leads to a level of apprehension in us. Not only that, but we have mythical stories to deal with.
There’s only one way to overcome that apprehension… feel the fear and do it anyway. Allow the unfamiliar to become familiar. You never know what world you might discover and what friends you may make. I bet some of these people have amazing stories to tell.
Of course, we need to deal with that apprehension with wisdom. Apprehension of the unknown and different is a normal and healthy safety mechanism. What we need to examine is where these things genuinely need to prevent us from doing something and on the other hand, where they have been unnecessarily built up by poor cultural assumptions. Maybe we also (and I’m saying this to myself as well) need to examine where our safety should not be foremost in our minds. At what point does sacrificing our comfort, whether it be physical, emotional or mental, have a part to play?
My flatmate is a guy who has purchased lunch for some homeless people when he’s been faced with a beggar and every time he has lived to tell the tale
Let me know how you go with the whole thought process, any decisions you make and any experiences you have. I’d love to hear about your journey.
Thanks for your insight Frank. I like the idea of using a donation as an ice breaker to connect with a homeless person. At the moment I don’t think I feel ready yet to push past that apprehension, maybe I’ll find a friend who’s interested rather than going alone. I’ll let you know how things progress.
In the mean time I had a look at the City Mission website and saw that they needed people to collect for their annual appeal this Friday. It‘s only a small, safe step but its somewhere to start, perhaps it will lead to bigger things. If anyone else is interested just have a look at their homepage http://www.aucklandcitymission.org.nz
Hey Christian
What I do, is ask the person what they want the money for, eg food, petrol what ever, and tell them I wont give them money but I’ll buy them a meal or what ever
good stuff Frank,
Just wanted to mention a related book I’m looking forward to reading – ‘Beyond Homelessness’ by Brian Walsh (and someone else, whose name is escaping me)
I attended a seminar about a year back where Brian basically covered the material from the book – great stuff…
“…I wont give them money but I’ll buy them a meal or what ever”, and similar comments.
That’s a nice idea, but it doesn’t work. They have learned – the hard way – not to accept food from strangers because sometimes the strangers deliberately put nasty things in it. With money they can be sure of what they get with it. It’s a wicked world.
@P.M. Lawrence
Really? People on the street seem grateful for food anytime I’ve ever bought stuff for them. After all, it’s a little hard for me to sneak something in there when they’re standing next to me at the counter when I purchase it.
At the risk of feeding prejudice, I should tell you that I’m in Melbourne. A few years ago the Salvation Army stopped accepting pre-wrapped Christmas presents for the poor here because one lucky child got a brick. Funny ha ha.
Hey Frank (and everyone else),
My friend and I have started thinking what our response should be to this exact bylaw and how it affects the homeless in Aucklands inner city. I’m living in Gisbonre, where there are only a handful of homeless people, but have been supporting my in Auckland as he wrestles with the issue at hand.
He has very much used his money as an investment to deeper conversations and greater understanding of the homeless he knows. We have just recently started a blog (click on my website) and are looking at doing up some t-shirts for the homeless guys, because according to the bylaw they are no longer allowed to hold signs. So we’re gonna put their personal signs onto t-shirts and have them do it that way. We don’t think anyone should be begging, but the reality is that, for now, this is the only way they can survive.
M mate and I are looking into how the welfare system works, what are the individual issues faced by those who find themselves on the streets and how do we use what little stature we have in society to make their (the homeless’) story heard.
Thanks for this article!
Yours for the homeless,
Andy
Thanks Andy,
Hi Frank,
I love what you said about ‘using money as an icebreaker’. The greater issue for our society is about breaking the social mentality that sets ‘us’ apart from ‘them’. Its the biggest lie our western culture of ‘individualism’ as it has taught us to be ‘set apart’ from everyone else; that isolation is acceptable and that you are your own person. As well as living in a system of transaction has fully influenced our mentality .. the concept of grace is almost lost.
I live in town in Auckland City which gives me the opportunity to walk with the homeless guys. Over the year I’ve been in and out, catching up with them and hearing stories that I was just humbled by and they’ve grown to become mates. These guys are my heart.
Only recently have I heard about this new bylaw being set up by the council, one of the street guys Wiremu hands me a letter being given to him by the council, stating that it is illegal to Beg and the authorities have the right to prosecute if they don’t comply. The councils reasons for doing so are bollocks.
This is why my mate Andy and I are planning on starting a movement called the [I BEG] Revolution, the aim is not to project begging as a solution for these guys but the vision is having the right kind of social support system set up by the council, local communities providing the individuals with the expertise and network to support these guys through steps in employment and stand as advocates. And our society to be socially accepting, go against the social norm to sit down, hear their stories and get their heart broken. That is what the [I BEG] Revolution intends, its going to be hard and we are only a week into it but its something.
Our first step is the ‘I BEG’ Tee’s, where on the Tee’s we will have ‘I BEG’ with the tag lines,
-for a fair system
-for justice
-for equality
-for a voice
-for Grace
-for love
-for mercy
-for food
-for water
-for shelter …
And the idea is to get the beggars wearing it as well as for us. It’s starting point to we hope for closing the gap.
I am a third year architecture student at the UoA so I don’t have much in terms of resources and expertise so I would love to hear from you if you are interested! And Frank, I would love to catch up with you or with anyone to talk about this in more detail.
You can reach me;
rui@afh-auckland.org
or Andy;
andy.s.crowe@gmail.com
Awesome post, and its just a blessing to hear people with the same heart and ideas!
Grace and Peace,
Rui