KEY POINTS:
After 155 years of feeding the homeless, Auckland's Airedale St drop-in centre has resolved to become more than just a soup kitchen.
The Methodist Mission Northern, which runs the centre, has let its long-serving centre manager Graham Nixey go and is looking for a social worker and a mental health worker to replace him.
New Mission Superintendent Rev John Murray says the centre will be "recreated" with classes in literacy, work skills and living skills and possibly kapa haka and other cultural activities.
The two new staff will become "advocates" for the homeless, helping them to overcome addictions, repair relationships, get help for mental health issues and learn how to live alongside neighbours in a house or a flat.
Airedale St will continue to provide free breakfasts and lunches, but Mr Murray wants to lure clients to stay longer. At present, an average of 50 people each time are in for a meal and out again within half an hour.
"We have some older clients down there. We know that we made them dependent on us, we institutionalised them. We will have to continue with them," he says.
"But our own research and research by Te Puni Kokiri has highlighted that there is an increase in the group under 30 in this homeless scenario. It's not good doing what we are doing for them. If we are not careful we are going to create another cycle of dependency."
The last count of Auckland's homeless found 81 people sleeping rough in streets and parks within 3km of the Sky Tower, and a further 27 in the night shelter or in police custody, on the night of May 15, 2005.
The biggest group (44 per cent) were aged 30 to 50, with 37 per cent under 30 and 10 per cent over 50. Eighty per cent were male. Most (58 per cent) were Maori or Polynesian.
Mr Murray says temporary staff had already started making changes such as a roster system for homeless people to clean the Airedale Centre.
"We are doing incremental things all the time - anything that helps us equip a person better for society such as clothing, hygiene and domestic chores," he says.
After the two new staff are appointed in about two months, he hopes they will organise "people who might offer work skills, literacy, numeracy, dealing with more specific health issues".
"One thing that will happen is that our clientele will change," he says.
"Some people will find that they don't need our services. Some people will find that they don't want the services because of the expectations that they will actually seek to improve their lifestyle.
"Others will come in because they recognise this is a good way [out of] their present situation of homelessness."
Airedale Centre
* 2 Airedale St, Auckland (opposite Town Hall).
* Established on land gifted by Governor George Grey in 1851.
* Open every day except Christmas Day, when the Auckland City Mission provides lunch in the Town Hall.
* Provides free breakfast and lunch, showers, clothing and health advice.
* Will now also provide literacy, work skills, living skills and advocacy.
