Stephen MacPherson has been living in his car for the last two years. Photo / George Novak
Stephen MacPherson has been living in his car for the last two years. Photo / George Novak
A mother who tragically lost her baby last year turned down for rentals because of her appearance.
A woman sleeping in the crevices of buildings or under trees after her house burnt down with all her belongings.
A man grateful his car provides a roof over his head.
These aresnippets of the hundreds of stories of Tauranga's homeless.
There are six billboards around the city picturing Jessica, Rosie and Stephen who are currently homeless, as well as married couple Nic and Aroha who are now housed.
There is also an art installation at the Willow St bus stop.
Sunday marked World Homelessness Day and about 40 people from the social sector and those who brought the project to life gathered at the Tauranga Art Gallery to hear their stories.
Rosie is one of the faces on the billboards around Tauranga. Photo / George Novak
The project was led by Kai Aroha founder Tania Lewis-Rickard. She said the project was about connecting people through images and raising awareness of the crisis the city was facing.
"I wanted to get into the psyche of people with large imagery and words that will be hard-hitting, with beautiful photos of beautiful people."
Jessica, a single mother of two, spoke of being homeless for five to eight years.
They had lived in tents, cars, caravans and motels.
"We've been through good and bad," she said through tears.
"I've got two beautiful children I have now but I also lost my 5-month-old last year because I wasn't able to provide a warm enough and safe enough house to live in."
The family was living in a tent at the time and had since been living in a caravan.
She said the family lived day-to-day and made life work with the little money she had as "pretty much" a single mother.
"We don't dwell on what we don't have ... we go out, we do things, free things."
She said they've struggled to find housing in Tauranga, New Plymouth, Whakatāne, Rotorua, and Tokoroa.
"I've been told you're too skinny ... you don't have any references, you don't look right."
Jessica is a solo-mum, speaking of her battles in the housing crisis. Photo / Supplied
She said there were many things that meant she didn't meet the criteria for the housing - "or the person they would like in the housing".
Her image played a part in her struggle to find somewhere to live, she said.
"There are a lot of us that are trying really hard to get housing and we can't."
Jessica said she was a tidy person, and liked gardening.
Stephen MacPherson has been living in his car for two years, having done a six-month stint at a backpacker before that.
"It's okay, it's not perfect."
MacPherson became homeless when he moved to Tauranga from Australia.
He's based at Memorial Park where there is a group of others also sleeping in cars or vans.
He worked 10-hour night shifts - excluding the roughly 35-minute commute each way - in kiwifruit earlier this year and made about $1000 a week.
Stephen MacPherson says he likes to keep a routine to keep a sense of normalcy. Photo / George Novak
By the time he got back to the park, he needed to sleep and would wake up, get ready and head out again.
This made it difficult for him to find a house, he said.
Now his priority was finding a job followed by a rental, saying his lack of employment was keeping him in his car.
He was currently on the benefit and while it was "adequate", he wanted work.
Every morning, he changes into new clothes, fills his bottle up at the tap, gets his gas cooker out of the boot, and makes himself a bowl of porridge with a bit of sugar, cleans the pot, and makes himself a coffee. MacPherson liked his routine. It gave a sense of normalcy. This included going to the gym, doing a workout, and shower and shave.
He goes to the free community meals when he knows they're on or to the supermarket for simple food that didn't need to be cooked which ended up being more expensive than cooking.
"You really need a kitchen to be able to eat healthily and properly."
Broccoli, green peppers, carrots, bok choy, and chicken is what he'd love to cook if he had space.
Stephen is on one of the six billboards around Tauranga. Photo / George Novak
"It is cramped, it's pretty claustrophobic."
The nights were comfortable in winter but he was dreading the "sweatbox" that came with summer.
"Despite that, I'm pretty happy ... but you really do need some room to spread yourself out and sleep."
"I do think there is money in New Zealand to cure homelessness."
He said the wrong kind of houses were being built, saying the "mini-mansions" were homes not even those in high-earning jobs could afford.
He said there was nothing for single parents and single men.
"It's built assuming people are in families."
During a creative writing course, Rosie was asked to draw a house.
"I drew a tree."
She's been homeless on and off for three years after her house burnt down.
"It's dangerous out there. People are beaten, raped, mugged, robbed."
Rosie telling a small crowd about how she is affected by homelessness. Photo / Supplied
Sleep was broken on the streets as all sounds were executed. She'd wake, startled, checking if her bag and keys were still there.
Her bags were heavier around after it rained with everything soggy from damp grass and dripping trees, her muscles were sore, and the cold seeped into her bones.
"Doorways are dry but I will be seen," she said.
"No one in New Zealand should be homeless."
Rosie said she had a skin condition and people falsely accused her of using meth and she wasn't taken seriously when trying to find a house as a result.
She said there was no elder or affordable housing.
"I gave up."
She said there was a "residual effect" where the systems have broken down and there is a "gap in caring".
She said the faces of those on the street become familiar with people, but no one knows or cares who they are.
"Homeless people have a story to tell ... sometimes people's circumstances change and their life changes drastically.
"I need somewhere safe and warm to live. Long-term, not short-term."
She spoke of the community groups in the city run by people with "hearts of gold".
She now stays at the Hine Ngākau, the only women's night shelter in the city which was established this year.
