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A Rotorua man’s charitable trust rents out motels to house people after the Covid-19 pandemic forced him to close his shelters for the homeless.
Tiny Deane: “My name is Tiny because I am the smallest in my family.” Source: rnz.co.nz
Tiny Deane, who is well known in the city, and he and his wife Lynley began helping the homeless in 2017, launching Visions of a Helping Hand Charitable Trust with the goal of moving people to permanent homes.
“The moms and kids who lived on the shore of Lake Rotorua who washed the kids at 6 in the morning with ice cold water from the taps in the public restrooms before they went to clean motels and stuff, and that was the creepy for me. “
Seeing that, he decided he needed to help. They sold an investment property and relocated their home to establish soup kitchens and shelters in Rotorua and Taupō.
Providing a roof for people from all walks of life wasn’t always easy, he said, but they had done it well.
However, when Covid-19 arrived, shelters had to close because physical distancing and other hygiene rules were difficult to enforce. In March, with government funding, he rented two motels on Fenton Street in Rotorua and one in Taupō to continue helping the homeless.
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Talk to Breakfast about what has been going on since the project launched. Source: Breakfast
“Like, this is a 4.5-star motel here. When we changed here, people’s attitude changed because they said ‘wow, they really must care about us because they put us here,'” Deane said.
Deane said a couple of developers were offering to build affordable housing in Rotorua to help their cause and that talks were ongoing.
He said the 120 people who stayed at the motels were from different walks of life, and with women and children, as well as those who slept poorly, it was hard work.
The charitable trust also offers mental health support from doctors from the local district health board, as well as help with wellness, drug and alcohol addiction, and tips for cooking, parenting, and budgeting.
People were told to stay inside their home bubbles and meals were delivered to their doors during the level 4 lockdown.
Deane said the ultimate goal was to give people permanent homes and that they had moved more than 40 families from Rotorua motels to rental properties. He wanted to take the time to get it right instead of rushing the process. She said people were expected to pay the rent with their benefits, but if they were really struggling, the trust would cover the cost.
“It’s about spending a little time with whānau, getting to know them, that they get to know us, that we host them, that we provide comprehensive services before they [move into the house] and once they’re there as well, so they know we’re always there for them. “
Siobhan Petera and her three children (ages 13, 11 and two and a half) have been with the organization for almost two years and, with the help of the trust, have just moved into a rental home.
Petera said they had stayed with family and friends, jumping from bed to bed, from house to house. She rated her time at the motel.
“Everyone gets along and it’s like a little community here. It’s up to you, which way you want to go. As if you want to stay here,” he said, adding that he wanted to put his culinary skills to use. and become a chef or even start a catering business.
“My future goal is to start studying now by taking courses to get some certificates … so that I can be nice and stable for me and my children.”
Katrina Nicholl Loffley-Mines said Deane and Lynley had rescued her and their 15-year-old daughter from the streets twice in the past 18 months.
Katrina Nicholl Loffley-Mines is excited that her new studio has heat, Wi-Fi, and Netflix. Source: rnz.co.nz
He said he had been to Deane’s shelters and then the motel at the start of alert level 4.
“It is a literal change from poverty to wealth. I went from poverty with nowhere to live to being in five-star accommodation, with even a hot tub that I could use as I pleased,” he said.
Now, with the help of the charity, Loffley-Mines has moved her daughter into a studio where there is heat, Wi-Fi and Netflix.
