"There is a conflation between people who are experiencing homelessness and what is perceived as criminal behaviour.”

HELEN ROBINSON I’ve now done 11 years at the Auckland City Mission Te Tāpui Atawhai. I came back from an OE in London in my early 30s and saw a temporary three-month job come up to lead one of the homeless teams here at Mission, and that turned into a permanent role. That was 11 years ago. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that one day I would end up being the Missioner. But I’ve been in this role for just over three years and I love it. It’s a real privilege.

HELEN ROBINSON The city is part of our DNA, it’s who we are. The City Mission just turned 104 years old and was founded by a man called Jasper Calder out of St. Matthew-in-the-City next door at the time of the Spanish flu pandemic. I think two things were very clear in his mind. One was that Auckland deserved compassion: remember at the time there were lots of people who were very unwell and the health system was not like we have today. He also had a real longing for justice, which represents the two arms of the Mission, calling us to respond to the reality and need as we see it in the central city, and also dare to ask the question of why that need is there. We have a job too to be a mirror, a collective conscience that actually says, “Look at what’s going on in Auckland, and how come it’s like this? Our people are suffering.”

HELEN ROBINSON During Covid the city took a bit of a battering. And now I think with the City Rail Link and all the building, the convention centre and all the different stuff that’s happening, the city is in a period of regrowing itself. I’m conscious that many people at the moment have a comment about rough sleeping. What we know is that compared to before Covid, the numbers of rough sleepers are a lot lower now. To the best of our knowledge in terms of rough sleeping, we would be talking about 30 or 40 individuals in the central city. We’ve had times where that was knocking on more like 150, 200. So the actual numbers now are very small. However, there are hundreds if not thousands of people throughout our city who are in really vulnerable housing. We just don’t have enough homes for people, and certainly not enough affordable, appropriate homes. What’s changed at the Mission is that we’re now a landlord to 200 people. Just over two years ago, we didn’t have any permanent accommodation to offer. Now we have homes for 80 people here at HomeGround on Hobson Street, and we have a wonderful facility on Day Street just off K Road, Te Ao Mārama, where 60 people live. And then we’re a landlord to tenants who are scattered throughout the city and beyond. One of the awesome things about being part of that is that we are genuinely able to provide people affordable, appropriate, good housing and the support services to really respond to the challenges. We have Managed Social Withdrawal Services, sometimes known as a detox unit. We have Haeata, our community dining room. We have really good stories of people who now have homes and access to good support. We can only do that because of the generosity of Auckland and also because of the funding support that we receive through central government and the Council. We have a team of people who go out onto the street five out of seven days a week to connect with people who are living on the street. And over time, or immediately if they are willing, they build a relationship of trust so that they know they can access the support that is available. There is certainly an understanding that we need a lot better mental health and addiction support or resourcing in our country. A lot of people are unwell and need access to better support services than what’s currently available.

HELEN ROBINSON One of the things I’m conscious of is that it’s important to separate behaviour from states of being. One of the problems of these narratives is a conflation between people who are experiencing homelessness and what is perceived as criminal behaviour. The evidence shows there are lots of people who are housed who are committing crimes in our country, and there are some people who are homeless who are committing crimes. The Mission will never stand for criminal or antisocial behavior, but we will challenge the conflation of homelessness and criminal or antisocial behavior.

HELEN ROBINSON It’s a really good question. I think the first thing that I would encourage every person to do is to clock what’s going on, both outside of them but then inside of them as well. You might get that sense of being confronted or feeling uncomfortable, but we should separate that from feeling fearful or scared. Sometimes I’m walking down a street and there could behavior going on that is worthy of me being fearful. In that case, avoid it. But in general, we should separate that sense of feeling uncomfortable with feeling unsafe. I think that’s number one. Number two. For people who are up for it, I would encourage them to acknowledge people who are in front of them, to say hello, to have eye contact, to ask someone’s name, much like you might strike up a conversation with someone who is sitting on the seat next to you on the bus. Housed or unhoused, they’re a fellow human being, and I would really encourage that connection. It doesn’t have to be contrived or over the top. You don’t need to sit down and talk to someone for 45 minutes. If you’re walking on your way to work and you actually need to get there for that 8:30 meeting, then you say hello. Over time, after you’ve seen someone a few times, I would encourage people to say, “What’s your name? Where are you from?” You just very naturally build a relationship with that person. I think that sense of relationship cures the illness of invisibility. The money question is always a complicated one and everyone has a different take on it. I think people have to be true to themselves. I think that there is a wisdom in encouraging people to give to organisations like the Mission – and it doesn’t have to be the Mission, as there are many good organisations doing work throughout our country. That enables more and better support for the individual who is in front of you. Now, if someone wants to give someone money, who am I to say no? Often what I see and have done myself is offer to go buy people food. It’s important for people to know that we provide food every day here, so people will get one good meal. There are a number of other organisations and places that also do this, so most nights or days in the city, people would get one or two meals if they need to. I think it’s worth clocking your own inner reflections. Why do I feel so uncomfortable? How do I actually acknowledge this other human being in front of me, who I recognise is suffering, often deeply, and is in this position not because of anything they have done? It is not someone’s fault that they’re homeless. And it’s not fair. I have to confront the reality that we as a society are constructing it, and it doesn’t have to be this way. We have to acknowledge the impact of poverty, the impact of colonisation and the disenfranchisement of people from land. There is a reality in our country that we can get to where everybody has enough homes. We have to make some decisions to get there that could be difficult for some. At the heart of it, it’s about a more equitable distribution of wealth, and as a country we struggle with that.

HELEN ROBINSON’S SUGGESTIONS

1. More permanent housing, everywhere.

2. Greater availability of mental health and addiction support services.

3. Stop conflating homelessness and criminal behaviour.

The next interview in the series is with mother and son duo, Trish Marryatt and Robert Macfarlane. Click here to read it.