Alexandra Police and the Salvation Army have confirmed anecdotes from locals about increased numbers of people living rough in the town.

Senior Constable Graham Perkins said police were often notified by members of the public about people living on the street or in makeshift shelters, and they kept a close eye on them.

The community may have noticed the man living in a shelter outside the Alexandra Public Library had moved on, and was now using Molyneux Park as his choice of home.

Another man had also been living with him for a short while outside the library but was choosing to be homeless, and had finances to support himself, Snr Const Perkins said.

Alexandra Salvation Army Corps administrator and Community Ministries support worker Diane Barbara said as far as she was aware there were two gentlemen moved on from the back of the library due to them camping out on private property.

Snr Const Perkins said there had also been a man living in a tent by the boat ramp that travelled around town on an electric scooter, but he had gone back to Dunedin to stay with family, he said.

In recent years, homeless people had taken up shelter outside Mitre 10, Paper Plus and on the steps of the museum building on the Pioneer Park side.

“Because there’s a bus stop nearby, they tend to stay close and places where they can get food. But we always make sure they are okay - they often choose to live like that,” he said.

Many had addictions and police would regularly keep an eye on them and take away their alcohol if they started to cause trouble with their drunkenness.

Diane said sadly homelessness in the town had always been an issue.  

“At this time of the year we have a lot of transients coming in to work in the area thinking accommodation will be available for them. This is often not the case.”

She said there was no specific type of homeless person. 

“They can range from people with addictions, single people or couples unable to find accommodation.”  

Sometimes homelessness was due to having to move on from accommodation they were already in, she said.

“As there is also a shortage of affordable rentals in the area, finding suitable homes to rent is challenging.”

She confirmed in some cases homelessness was a choice not a necessity.   

“Over the years there have been people staying under the bridge during the summer months but not so much in winter." 

There were a number of agencies that could help in some other areas such as food including the Combined Ministries Foodbank based at the back of the Salvation Army.

“There are no easy answers, especially locally,” she said.

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