January 19, 2017
Begging symptom of society in crisis
A south Auckland whanau ora worker says begging is what happens when people feel they have no other options.
Businessman Bob Jones has called for begging to be outlawed, saying it’s a disgrace that “fat Maoris as they mostly are are lying on our streets of our city begging.”
Veronica Henare, Manukau Urban Maori Authority’s Whanau Ora Services Manager, says the nation needs to look at the real issues arund begging and homelessness.
She says if people get cut off a benefit or lose other forms of support, begging can seem the only available option.
She says people don’t want to be homeless, but there are long waiting lists for social housing, and many Maori find themselves excluded from the private rental market by price and the attitudes of landlords.
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