Council to investigate Hamilton Homeless

Claire Chapman with homeless man Junior.

An organisation that has been under scrutiny for not abiding by council bylaws in their efforts to feed the homeless and underprivileged say it has attempted to resolve the issue by securing premises. But the issue isn't over yet.

Claire Chapman started the Hamilton Homeless group after she heard about the issue of vagrants congregating in the CBD. What started as Mrs Chapman feeding one pot of soup to 25 people has turned into a group of more than 50 volunteers feeding up to 80 people each night.

But the group ran into problems when council outlined the need for Hamilton Homeless to abide by regulatory bylaws.

"We have been told we would be arrested if we kept feeding them in the CBD, so we went to a park. Then we were told we couldn't go there either," said Mrs Chapman.

She said the council advised the group to find a building to operate from, and the group have since secured a private rental property within walking distance from the CBD.

"We looked at our options and decided to rent a residential property close to the CBD so that our funds could go toward feeding these people and not into more rates etc that would incur from a residential building. We have a three-month probation period with our landlord who is well aware of what we are doing and has even come down to help," said Mrs Chapman.

However, council has received a complaint about Hamilton Homeless' operation.

Mr Parata said the council would continue to engage with Mrs Chapman to ensure all protocols are being met.

"We are continuing to be solutions-focused regarding Mrs Chapman's operation and have been in contact with her in relation to a complaint we have received. At this stage we are investigating the complaint to ensure Mrs Chapman's operation complies with the District Plan. We will continue to have open and honest dialogue with Mrs Chapman once we have completed the investigation," said Mr Parata.

Mrs Chapman said she didn't know what the complaint was in relation to.

"We found a place to operate from, like the council asked. We are allowed seven people living in the house but there are only five occupants at this stage so we are well within the terms of our tenancy agreement. We are down a long driveway so no one can see what's going on and our section is big enough to accommodate our activities without disturbing anyone else."

"None of the food is cooked on site so there is no health and safety issues. The food is brought to the house by our volunteers ready to serve and everything is taken away again afterwards."