Beggars and rough sleepers in Auckland City will be well looked after if John Tamihere is elected and puts his plan for the homeless in place.
“John Tamihere says as Auckland’s mayor he would create an 0800 JACINDA hotline to call if residents see rough sleepers or beggars.
Anyone who called the number would find a “person all loving and caring that knows everything about your wellbeing” on the other end, he said. A social worker would then be sent to work with the beggar.
Homeless people causing a “nuisance” by sleeping rough would be asked to go with the social worker – or find themself in breach of the law, Tamihere said this afternoon as he released his begging and homelessness policy in the run-up to October’s election.”
A newspaper
I hope John Tamihere knows who he’s dealing with on Auckland streets. Drug addicts, psychological disorders and people with both.
“Tamihere claimed he would also force social workers to change their work hours, working three shifts so someone would be available around the clock.
“We have enough social workers in New Zealand, particularly in Auckland to deal with working one-on-one,” he said.
“With each person found on the streets, social workers, like a lot of other workers in the supply side of our economy, must wake up to the fact that social work is a 24/7 job, and there will be a requirement that they work three shifts.”
Tamihere is going to provide a surrogate mum for the homeless. But has he really thought this through? Imagine a social worker called out in the wee small hours to pick up a vagrant off their head and causing a nuisance – which is enough ruckus to have caught someone’s attention in the first place – they are not going to go quietly.
Hostels for the down and out are provided by charities reliant on public funding – they watch their pennies very carefully and are unlikely to put someone on the front desk all night. And what about a police escort for the social worker? The logistics around this make Tamihere’s plan difficult to achieve.
“Last year’s homeless count on September 17 found there were an estimated 800 people living without shelter in Auckland, and at least 2,874 people in temporary accommodation.
But Tamihere called the count a “$500,000 political stunt” and said he didn’t need that to know the number of homeless and rough sleepers or where they sleep.
Homelessness was an issue for central Government, not local government or police, he said.
“The millions of dollars that Auckland Council splurges on subsidising central Government failure must stop.”
The council would also build more social housing under his leadership, in partnership with central Government, he claimed.”
So, whose responsibility is the homeless? Central or local government?
Tamihere contradicted himself by talking about what he will do as Auckland mayor but then goes on to say homelessness is an issue for Central government. I’m thinking he wants Central government to pick up the tab on what appears to be his logistical nightmare of a scheme.
We need a liaison between Central and Local government to address this growing problem in most of our cities and Tamihere needs to go back to the drawing board.