The city showed its willingness to do so this week with the opening of a night shelter that has been praised as one of the best in New Zealand.
The number of homeless in Tauranga varies from an estimated 40 to 60, depending on the time of year.
Everyone deserves shelter and the facility will likely reduce other costs associated with the courts and police time as well as hospital and medical bills.
As this paper has noted before, it is not the the responsibility of the ratepayer, council, or indeed the Government, to facilitate a poor lifestyle choice.
What is promising is the Tauranga Moana Nightshelter Trust says the shelter will also offer wrap-around services.
Trustee Mike Mills this week dispelled the image that it would be a doss house for anyone who turned up.
If people turn up rotten drunk looking for a bed, they will be turned away.
The trust realises that if the facility develops a reputation for being unsafe it will prejudice the opportunities for the many homeless who were looking to start making changes to their lives.
There is a risk that the new shelter may be overwhelmed with demands from government agencies and Mr Mills has already asked that they be realistic in their demands.
He points out that the shelter is "not a mental health facility".
Hopefully this call is heeded.
The shelter could make a huge difference in the lives of the homeless if it is given a chance to establish itself and is not forced to compromise on the rules it has put in place to safeguard its future.
