November 11, 2021
Tauranga iwi buys emergency housing
Taurangamoana iwi Ngāi Te Rangi has bought an apartment block to use for emergency accommodation.
Chief executive Paora Stanley says it’s both a commercial and social investment, with associated service contracts adding to the bottom line.
The eight apartments can be configured in different ways to accommodate individuals or families of different sizes.
He expects people will stay up to three months, which gives the iwi time to address any issues that may have contributed to their homelessness.
“When people are in extreme stress from being homeless, sometimes they’ve got alcohol problems, drug problems, finance problems, domestic problems, all that stuff and you’ve got to try to find ways to resolve that to pick them up onto an even keel so they’ll be able to move out into the big wide world,” Mr Stanley says.
The rūnanga has social workers, counselors and employment training and support staff working from an office next to the apartments.