Rough sleepers in Napier now have a place to stay overnight with the official opening of the city’s night shelter.
Named Āhuru Mōwai as a “warm, calm haven”, the shelter would provide short-term refuge initially for some of the city’s most vulnerable men – known as whānau pounamu – as winter deepens.
The facility has been unofficially open for the past three weeks, and rough sleepers and advocates have already noticed huge positive changes.
Now, the shelter has been officially opened with Whatever It Takes Trust managing operations at the facility, which hosts up to eight men each night from 4pm to 8am.
Kyle Turner told 1News that having a safe, warm and dry space to call his own for the night was life-changing after being homeless for more than four years.
“Nothing better than a better quality of life, fresh clothes folded, clean bedding, bathrooms, showers.”
He said the new Napier night shelter had helped him set goals and aspirations.
“I feel comfortable looking at myself in the mirror again,” he said.
Turner spent most of 2024 living in his car and on the streets as he cared for his sick mother and dog — who have both since passed away.
He expressed gratitude to the shelter staff, helping to uplift his mana.
“I lost a lot of stuff last year, but I have gained a lot since which has made me want better for myself and better for my family. It’s just the love, that I had lost for myself, I’m actually loving myself and treating myself better than I have in a long time,” he said.
Turner was now applying for jobs and hoped to save money to visit his daughter in Australia one day.
“I have a lot of meaningful things coming up in my life. I need to be a better person so I can be a better person for my daughter. I haven’t seen my daughter for over six years. I need to get back to see her because it’s been too freaking long. And losing Mum last year, and she needs her dad in her life. She wants me in her life, and I want to be in her life.”
Homeless deaths a turning point
Whatever it Takes Trust chief executive Sam Aprehama said recent homeless deaths was a turning point for action.
“Over the last 18 months, we’ve lost three lives here in Napier and all of those were chronically homeless, it was time to make a change, it was time to put action to our words.
“We’ve seen huge change in our whānau that reside here three weeks, they’ve lifted their heads. They are communicating. They have dreams and aspirations that they are working towards. And we’re supporting them on their journey to wellness.”
Shelter site manager Whiu Carroll said beds were in hot demand.
“We haven’t been open long but people are knocking at the gates, wanting to know how they can get in, I have other people coming wanting to know, families with stories of their relatives need help.
“We’re trying to uplift their wairua so they can change and take some responsibility, we don’t do it all here, they have a part to play as well, it’s giving their mana back to them so they can walk alongside us and we do the same to get to the next step.”
Napier City Council contributed $100,000 dollars to the pilot programme, now calling on the government for more long-term support to help keep the doors open permanently.
“We’re funding this pilot locally at the moment but for it to continue in the long term, that cannot happen without central government support,” Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise said.
“We definitely have seen an increase in the number of people living on our streets. So the Government have a responsibility to be actually looking to find where people have gone and then working with local communities and local councils to ensure we’re providing long-term housing solutions for all of our community.”
Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka said the government already provided a range of support to communities.
“There are a range of community groups and others and Māori housing providers that are very acutely aware of some of the challenges that many whanau are facing, in this tough economic environment.
“We give significant support, over a half billion dollars per annum into things like transitional housing, housing first and a whole range of other programmes,” Potaka said.
