Rotorua charity plans ‘Adopt A Streetie' initiative to aid homeless
She said the streeties could be put into a home once they were ready.
King said they used coming together to eat and prepare food as a way of finding those who genuinely wanted to change and improve their lives.
The five people being housed in the village were now helping to prepare and cook the meals for other homeless at the weekend.
Love Soup Rotorua's Julie King. Photo / Supplied
Love Soup provides between 25 and 30 meals every Saturday and Sunday night, as well as giving food for others to do breakfasts in the morning.
'I know people don't want us feeding them but it is our way of bonding and coming together,' King said.
They had heard of similar hosting projects overseas where those given free rent repaid the favour by offering to do jobs and chores.
'If we plan it right, it can work.'
King said the sleeping pods idea 'had not really panned out' on the large scale it had originally aimed for, because of compliance issues with Rotorua Lakes Council.
It was set up as an emergency response in a secret location on land near Rotorua, but the council advised Love Soup would face enforcement actions if it didn't stop what it was doing and apply for consent.
New sleeping pods to be used by streeties at a secret location. Photo / Supplied
King said the village was replacing some of the pods with caravans and campervans, which they believed would gain council approval more easily.
King said they would sell six of their eight pods – asking about $2500 each.
The pods are made from hard plastic and each has ventilation, insulation and sleeps two or three people side-by-side.
King said Love Soup set up the Village of Hope for those willing to abide by their rules and there were strict criteria and screening for those they allowed in.
The set-up was 'working wonders' for the five people currently using it because they had somewhere warm, dry and safe to sleep.
Two were sleeping in pods and the other three in a donated campervan, caravan and a car.
Love Soup volunteers transported them to the two secret locations and supervised them from nearby before returning them to Rotorua in the morning.
Homeless gather on Pukuatua St for free breakfast. Photo / Kelly Makiha
King said the original long-term vision of having several pods on iwi land was no longer going to work.
'We still think the pods are amazing and they work really well. It's just the iwi land has fallen through.'
Gaining compliance was also going to be too difficult, although King said once they had their caravans set up properly, she would invite the council to check on their operation in case it needed consent.
Jean-Paul Gaston, council district development group manager, told the Rotorua Daily Post last week the council had a legal responsibility but Love Soup had not shared any information about what they planned or what they were doing and where.
Gaston said the council advised that any type of accommodation required consent before starting operations and encouraged them to get this process under way.
King said Love Soup, as part of wider efforts to find solutions to homelessness in Rotorua, had stopped having regular meetings with other local organisations as they had a clear database now of what everyone was doing.
'It was just starting to be chitty chat but now we are in the movement side to get things done.'
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.
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NZ Herald
2 days ago
- NZ Herald
Rotorua charity plans ‘Adopt A Streetie' initiative to aid homeless
Love Soup's Julie King said the Adopt A Streetie idea had been on her mind for a while and was a natural progression from the Village of Hope. She said the streeties could be put into a home once they were ready. King said they used coming together to eat and prepare food as a way of finding those who genuinely wanted to change and improve their lives. The five people being housed in the village were now helping to prepare and cook the meals for other homeless at the weekend. Love Soup Rotorua's Julie King. Photo / Supplied Love Soup provides between 25 and 30 meals every Saturday and Sunday night, as well as giving food for others to do breakfasts in the morning. 'I know people don't want us feeding them but it is our way of bonding and coming together,' King said. They had heard of similar hosting projects overseas where those given free rent repaid the favour by offering to do jobs and chores. 'If we plan it right, it can work.' King said the sleeping pods idea 'had not really panned out' on the large scale it had originally aimed for, because of compliance issues with Rotorua Lakes Council. It was set up as an emergency response in a secret location on land near Rotorua, but the council advised Love Soup would face enforcement actions if it didn't stop what it was doing and apply for consent. New sleeping pods to be used by streeties at a secret location. Photo / Supplied King said the village was replacing some of the pods with caravans and campervans, which they believed would gain council approval more easily. King said they would sell six of their eight pods – asking about $2500 each. The pods are made from hard plastic and each has ventilation, insulation and sleeps two or three people side-by-side. King said Love Soup set up the Village of Hope for those willing to abide by their rules and there were strict criteria and screening for those they allowed in. The set-up was 'working wonders' for the five people currently using it because they had somewhere warm, dry and safe to sleep. Two were sleeping in pods and the other three in a donated campervan, caravan and a car. Love Soup volunteers transported them to the two secret locations and supervised them from nearby before returning them to Rotorua in the morning. Homeless gather on Pukuatua St for free breakfast. Photo / Kelly Makiha King said the original long-term vision of having several pods on iwi land was no longer going to work. 'We still think the pods are amazing and they work really well. It's just the iwi land has fallen through.' Gaining compliance was also going to be too difficult, although King said once they had their caravans set up properly, she would invite the council to check on their operation in case it needed consent. Jean-Paul Gaston, council district development group manager, told the Rotorua Daily Post last week the council had a legal responsibility but Love Soup had not shared any information about what they planned or what they were doing and where. Gaston said the council advised that any type of accommodation required consent before starting operations and encouraged them to get this process under way. King said Love Soup, as part of wider efforts to find solutions to homelessness in Rotorua, had stopped having regular meetings with other local organisations as they had a clear database now of what everyone was doing. 'It was just starting to be chitty chat but now we are in the movement side to get things done.' Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.
Scoop
30-06-2025
- Scoop
80,000 Books: Library Service Reaches Schools, Rest Homes And Young Offenders
Article – Laura Smith – Local Democracy Reporter In the five years to April, it issued 81,906 books, eight DVDs, 1018 magazines, 257 memory aids and 1234 talking books for a total of 84,423. A mobile Rotorua library service has delivered more than 80,000 books to housebound residents, schoolchildren and youth offenders over the past five years. Rotorua Lakes Council's Library to You service – previously the housebound delivery service and onsite outreach van selection service – has operated for more than 25 years. It was among the 92 percent of libraries offering a similar service. Council organisational performance and innovation group manager Thomas Collé said, in response to a Local Democracy Reporting official information request, that the service was about equity. It provided equitable access for the Rotorua community to enjoy reading resources regardless of their physical ability to visit the library. Library to You services were for people housebound because of age, disability, illness or injury, stress, wellness, caregiving responsibilities, social or economic issues, and who have a lack of available support. This could be at home or in a rest home. 'We deliver books, magazines and memory aid resources from our dementia collection,' Collé said. It also delivered to preschools and primary schools, including the School for Young Parents and the Youth Detention Facility. 'Many schools no longer have libraries, and both schools and preschools have limited budgets to offer students books for recreational reading to supplement curriculum-based reading. The purpose is to encourage a love of reading and improve literacy.' Anonymised examples of service users' feedback included the daughter of a Redwood Village resident who said how much her mum loved the books. Another was a 92-year-old from Lake View Villas who said receiving the books was the highlight of her day. How it worked was every individual or school filled in a profile for book selection; Western was 'consistently' the favourite for those who were housebound. Staff chose fitting books and delivered to a schedule. The dedicated library vehicle is driven by the Library to You co-ordinator and customer support staff on a rostered basis. The vehicle is also used to provide literacy outreach programmes to preschools and schools. The service is funded through the library annual operating budget, received from rates, and costs about $40,000 a year. The vehicle cost $45,000 and was funded by Rotorua Friends of the Library. In the last five years, it serviced 26 preschools and 22 classrooms in six primary schools, reaching an estimated 1800 children over the past year. On average, the housebound delivery service supported 28-50 adults each year. In the five years to April, it issued 81,906 books, eight DVDs, 1018 magazines, 257 memory aids and 1234 talking books for a total of 84,423. Housebound deliveries were fortnightly and covered about 72.4 kilometres of driving each time. Monthly primary school deliveries covered about 135km each time, excluding the Christmas holidays, while preschool deliveries were about 96.2km each month. 'Our longest-serving customer has been receiving housebound deliveries for 20-plus years. Most of the individual housebound customers would receive service for several years,' Collé said.
Scoop
30-06-2025
- Scoop
80,000 Books: Library Service Reaches Schools, Rest Homes And Young Offenders
A mobile Rotorua library service has delivered more than 80,000 books to housebound residents, schoolchildren and youth offenders over the past five years. Rotorua Lakes Council's Library to You service - previously the housebound delivery service and onsite outreach van selection service - has operated for more than 25 years. It was among the 92 percent of libraries offering a similar service. Council organisational performance and innovation group manager Thomas Collé said, in response to a Local Democracy Reporting official information request, that the service was about equity. It provided equitable access for the Rotorua community to enjoy reading resources regardless of their physical ability to visit the library. Library to You services were for people housebound because of age, disability, illness or injury, stress, wellness, caregiving responsibilities, social or economic issues, and who have a lack of available support. This could be at home or in a rest home. "We deliver books, magazines and memory aid resources from our dementia collection," Collé said. It also delivered to preschools and primary schools, including the School for Young Parents and the Youth Detention Facility. "Many schools no longer have libraries, and both schools and preschools have limited budgets to offer students books for recreational reading to supplement curriculum-based reading. The purpose is to encourage a love of reading and improve literacy." Anonymised examples of service users' feedback included the daughter of a Redwood Village resident who said how much her mum loved the books. Another was a 92-year-old from Lake View Villas who said receiving the books was the highlight of her day. How it worked was every individual or school filled in a profile for book selection; Western was "consistently" the favourite for those who were housebound. Staff chose fitting books and delivered to a schedule. The dedicated library vehicle is driven by the Library to You co-ordinator and customer support staff on a rostered basis. The vehicle is also used to provide literacy outreach programmes to preschools and schools. The service is funded through the library annual operating budget, received from rates, and costs about $40,000 a year. The vehicle cost $45,000 and was funded by Rotorua Friends of the Library. In the last five years, it serviced 26 preschools and 22 classrooms in six primary schools, reaching an estimated 1800 children over the past year. On average, the housebound delivery service supported 28-50 adults each year. In the five years to April, it issued 81,906 books, eight DVDs, 1018 magazines, 257 memory aids and 1234 talking books for a total of 84,423. Housebound deliveries were fortnightly and covered about 72.4 kilometres of driving each time. Monthly primary school deliveries covered about 135km each time, excluding the Christmas holidays, while preschool deliveries were about 96.2km each month. "Our longest-serving customer has been receiving housebound deliveries for 20-plus years. Most of the individual housebound customers would receive service for several years," Collé said.
