Chch street kids spark inquiry

Press, 25 July 1985, Page 5

Chch street kids spark inquiry

By

JOHN HARFORD

Christchurch street kids yesterday sparked a Ministerial inquiry in an effort to prevent their eviction from a home for the homeless. The Minister of Housing, Mr Goff, called an urgent inquiry into the eviction order’ and the claim by street kids on the house. The kids began squatting in Maranga House in June, after being frustrated at the red tape preventing them from legally moving into the vacant house. For the last two weeks, the street kids believed they had the blessing of the Housing Corporation and the Social Welfare Department to use the house, which had been supplied for the homeless. They were stunned when three men from the Housing Corporation arrived at the Durham Street house soon after 9 a.m. yesterday and gave them 24 hours to move out. Within hours they had drawn the attention of Mr Goff to their plight. He then ordered an inquiry. By early evening, Mr Goff had ordered a meeting of all concerned parties to discuss and attempt to solve the issue. The meeting will be held today. Youth workers, Social Welfare and Housing Corporation staff, the police, the Anglican City Mission, and the Anglican Maori Mission have all been asked to attend. It will be convened by the Social Welfare Department. Mr Goff said there were certain pre-conditions that would have to met before the street kids could be allowed to remain at Maranga House. Numbers at the house would have to be reduced to comply with health and fire-safety bylaws. Up to 40 kids had been staying at the house. An “umbrella” organisation would have to be found to take responsibility for them and to issue any discipline needed. It was thought last evening that the Anglican Maori Mission might accept responsibility. The behaviour of the young people would have to improve. Complaints had been made by neighbours and staff of the Christchurch Women’s Hospital, which is next to the house. “There must be no offence given to others in the neighbourhood. If there is an ongoing serious problem affecting the lives of others there will have to be an eviction order,” said Mr Goff. He hoped the conditions could be met so that the house could be used to house the “genuine” homeless, rather than have them living on the streets. Several of the young people did have homes to go to and school-age children must attend school, he said. Mr Terry Hughes, who had been acting as a house parent for the street kids, said he was stunned and

“wild” after the eviction order was first made. The youth workers helping the kids at the house began meeting at 10.30 a.m. to discuss the impending eviction. At 11 a.m. the Christchurch housing manager of the Housing Corporation, Mr Charles Consedine, arrived with other corporation staff, Social Welfare staff, and about eight policemen. Ms Alva Pomare, a youth worker, said the police had said they had come to evict them then. They later changed their minds and gave them until 11 a.m. today to leave the house. “We asked them where the kids were meant to go and they said they did not care, it was not their responsibility,” she said. Most of the street kids were yesterday in Buller to attend a Maori National regional hui. They left on Tuesday and would not be back until next week. Some youth workers wondered yesterday if the eviction order had been made because the young people were not there. The Housing Corporation had known they were in the house for several weeks. They told the member of

Parliament for Christchurch Central, Mr Palmer, through his electorate office. Mr Palmer said yesterday he got in touch with the street kids when he heard of their dilemma. He then told Mr Goff of the issue. “I made representations to the Minister of Housing who then began urgent inquiries," said Mr Palmer. Mr Consedine said the decision to evict the street kids had nothing to do with their being on the West Coast. He did not know they were living in Maranga House until the police told him about two weeks ago. Several complaints had been made by people living in the area and by staff at the Christchurch Women’s Hospital. He was then told by the Social Welfare Department that attempts were being made to have the Anglican City Mission take charge. On that basis he had allowed the street kids to stay for a month. On Tuesday, the City Mission withdrew its support and the decision was made to evict the young people. “It was clear the negotiations had come to an end and so our undertaking also

had to end,” said Mr Consedine. The City Missioner, the Rev. David Morrell, said the mission had reached the stage where it was unable to support the street kids any longer. It was difficult to keep control of the situation and it put “major pressure” on mission workers. It was really getting to a point where it seemed to come apart,” he said. It was a shame the street kids were faced with eviction because the idea behind setting up the house was a good one. “But they seem to have taken a tiger by the tail,” said Mr Morrell. The director of the Social Welfare Department in Christchurch, Mr T. M. Comer, said it was an “important and sensitive issue.” He was disappointed that the street kids faced eviction. Emergency housing could be provided by the department for some of the younger ones, said Mr Comer, but he was not sure of the details. Mr Peter Nottle, a volunteer worker at Maranga House, said only one complaint had been made direct

to the street kids by neighbours. Some of the complaints, especially about noise, were justified, he said. “It is hard to control 40 kids at once." Many of the disturbances for which the street kids were blamed were caused by gang members and others visiting the house. “They seem to think we downgrade the area and will turn it into a slum,” said Mr Nottle. After the Gloucester Street house they had been living in was demolished in May, the street kids moved about, looking for a place which could offer some permanence. At first it was back to the streets, then an unsuccessful attempt to set up a “crash pad” in a Linwood house. They were evicted by the police soon after moving in. Many took up residence at another Linwood address with people willing to share a small three-bedroomed house. The street kids took the number of people sleeping in the house to between 20 and 25 a night. Others occasionally broke into the drop-in centre in Madras Street run by Te Roopu Awhina Trust. Break-

ing into the centre at night had put it in jeopardy. One of the centre’s rules is that no-one is meant to be there after the youth workers have left. The decision to squat in Maranga House was made after the street kids and youth workers did not think they would be able to find an official welfare agency to help them run it. Since moving in, the street kids had set up a work co-operative. It had attracted a $l5OO pre-com-mercial grant from the Internal Affairs Department, and work contracts were being arranged. It was hoped to have 15 salaried positions in the co-operative for six months. Maranga House is one of four homes provided by the Government after a working party reported on homelessness and unsupervised children. It was administered by the Social Welfare Department, let by the Housing Corporation, and run by the City Mission and the Catholic Social Services as a home for girls. It closed about two months ago when the agencies said they could no longer fund it.