Begging on the streets: Our position
City Missioner Corinne Haines explaining our position on aggressive begging to TV1 News.
One of the bigger Christchurch news stories this month is the problem of aggressive begging and the City Council’s decision to investigate a bylaw that will help better control the anti-social aspects of this begging.
We were contacted multiple times by media for comment and we are the city’s frontline agency in looking after genuinely homeless people on the streets. A council grant supports us having two Outreach Service workers who work with these people.
City Missioner Corinne Haines told many news organisations, including print, online and TV news outlets, that we were aware of the upsurge in aggressive begging in a number of locations around Christchurch and we deeply sympathised with residents who had been intimidated by aggressive beggars asking for money.
We say if someone finds themselves in this situation, the police should be called.
We also say that no one should give any beggars money – whether they are aggressive or not. This is what causes and escalates the problems. Offering a kind word, or food, or drink, is fine, but not money, because that is likely to be used in a way that doesn’t help the person on the street. If aggressive beggars make no money begging on the street, it will not be worth their effort being there.
If you want to give money, it would be better to donate it to an organisation such as ours which helps them directly.
Corinne said our experience was most aggressive beggars were not people experiencing homelessness and they had homes to go to, although they could present themselves as being homeless or be mistaken by residents as homeless.
Our role through our Outreach Service, and all our other services such as the emergency night shelters, foodbank and addiction services, is to support people who were genuinely experiencing homelessness and rough sleeping. Our early morning rounds found the real rough sleepers and we don’t see aggressive beggars at 7am.
One of our concerns is that the understandable negative response which aggressive beggars create will also harm the public’s image of those who are genuinely sleeping on the streets.
They deserve to be treated with care and compassion. Many have experienced very hard lives. They usually have complex and layered issues, and it takes time to get their trust.
The best way to help them is to build trust and build a relationship so we can eventually guide them off the streets and into accommodation. On the streets they are usually quiet and withdrawn and some even hide during the daytime.
Corinne said her hope was that any bylaws introduced around aggressive begging should allow us to continue to do the important and compassionate work we needed to do with these genuinely homeless people.
OUR ADVICE ON HOW TO HELP GENUINE HOMELESSNESS
We take a compassionate and informed approach to helping people who are genuinely experiencing homelessness in Christchurch.
This is how we recommend you interact with rough sleepers you might meet on the streets:
Don’t give money.
It’s okay to offer food.
It’s kind to make eye contact and say hello.
Call our Outreach Service on 0800 787 855 or email us at outreach@citymission.org.nz if you want to make sure they have been offered help, or if you are a business and they are sleeping outside your premises.
Call 111 if you have serious concerns for their health, or concerns that harm may come from their behaviour.