Kahurangi Edwards wants to live in the caravan he has called home in recent weeks after years on the streets.
Photo / Supplied
Kahurangi Edwards wants to live in the caravan he has called home in recent weeks after years on the streets.
Photo / Supplied
A Whanganui man who had been homeless for years is disappointed that a caravan he had come to call home in recent weeks is no longer accessible to him.
Kahurangi Edwards had been staying at the Whanganui Homeless Hub, which was established at the Anzac Pde freedom camping site inresponse to the Covid-19 level 4 lockdown announcement in August.
A donated caravan had been provided for Edwards and painted and decorated by friends especially for him.
The hub was disestablished last week after alleged intimidation and the caravan had been towed to the Koha Shed in Whanganui East while Edwards was absent from the site.
Homeless hub organiser and Koha Shed manager Sherron Sunnex said the caravan had been donated by the family member of a volunteer and does not belong to Edwards.
However, a Facebook post on the Whanganui Homeless Hub page dated September 11, 2021, indicated Edwards is the owner.
"Kahu now has a permanent shelter. Kahu has been on and off the streets for many years. He is now the proud owner of a caravan he can now call home," the post read.
Sunnex said Edwards could live in the caravan as long as it stayed at the Koha Shed.
"There was a donation of $250 that was tagged for Kahu and he can have that if he wants it."
The Whanganui Homeless Hub in Anzac Pde was disestablished last week.
Photo / Bevan Conley
A friend has provided Edwards with temporary shelter but the caravan had come to feel like a home, he said.
"I would like to be in the caravan but I don't want to go to the Koha Shed.
"I'm not a kid - I've been living on the streets for years. I'm grateful for the help I've been given but I don't like lots of people around all the time."
Asked where he would ultimately like to live if he could choose, Edwards said "in the caravan".
The Whanganui District Council Housing Strategy aims to address housing shortages that have increased along with population growth.
Photo / Bevan Conley
Whanganui's homeless population had been growing steadily as the general population had increased leading to the development of a Whanganui District Council Housing Strategy in 2019.
Although not mandated to provide social housing beyond its pensioner housing stock, the council has committed to "rethink Whanganui's housing stock and availability" as part of the strategy.
"We recognise that homelessness is an issue in Whanganui and our housing strategy is focused on working in partnership to increase housing capacity across all areas – affordable, social, transitional and emergency housing," said council community wellbeing manager Lauren Tamehana.
Tamehana said the council is working on town planning to increase the housing available in Whanganui, building capacity in the area of building consents, retaining the housing stock for older people, and working with the Government to advance initiatives in Whanganui.
"The national housing plan has Kāinga Ora programmed to build more homes for Whanganui," she said.
A steering group formed after two community meetings in July is now working towards improving options for housing support.
"There are many agencies working across the housing continuum supporting the homeless into sustainable housing and a number of options are being explored including finding suitable land for a permanent hub, a night shelter, a day shelter and community lockers."
Tamehana said Whanganui District Council has been actively attempting to connect the people at the Koha Shed with the appropriate housing services, the Ministry of Social Development and Whanganui People's Centre.
