Homelessness is reaching "desperate levels" in Newtown, locals say. Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii
Wellington City Council has revealed its plan for homelessness and anti-social behaviour in one of its suburbs, advising a social services team be installed there immediately.
Residents, businesses and social agencies have called attention to housing and safety issues in Newtown in recent weeks, which they said was reaching desperate levels.
The mayor then requested urgent advice from officials on how to deal with the problem.
In a report recently released to the mayor, senior responsible officer for City Safety, Sehai Orgad, proposed teams establish an on-the-ground presence at the community centre.
These were staff in the council's community services unit who dealt with a range of social service needs.
It's not a safety patrol, as was done in Wellington CBD by police and Māori wardens, and council urban liaison officers.
Orgad said a uniformed patrol was likely to generate community concerns about over-enforcement.
She said simply transferring CBD initiatives to Newtown won't work.
"The issues are different, the community is different, the health and safety responsibilities and requirements are different, and the response must reflect those differences."
Other proposals officials were making included upgrading lighting, installing solar-powered CCTV in hotspots, and installing public needle disposal bins.
These plans would draw from additional budgets, and councillors were to be briefed about it in September.
Officials suggested a range of community led-solutions, including a weekly social agency action day, where local agencies walk key streets, a drug harm and addiction service meeting with health and community services, and a neighbourhood clean up day.
Orgad said Newtown had not had the same level of council investment in safety as the CBD had, which was rolling out the multi-million dollar city safety plan in the inner-city.
That plan committed $40 million over ten years for community patrols from Māori wardens and urban liaison officers trained in de-escalation, managing the CCTV network, funding for community groups, boosting lighting repairs, and installing bright yellow city safety points - intercoms people could use when feeling unsafe.
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