Christchurch beggars 'taking advantage' of people who're genuinely homeless

November 21, 2017

Business owners have noticed an increase in begging on the street, and want the council to do more to solve the problem.

The Christchurch City Mission is concerned an increase in beggars could mean those who genuinely need help won't get it. 

More people are begging than live on the streets, and those who are really homeless say it's giving them a bad name. 

Christchurch City Missioner Matthew Mark says some beggars in the central city are taking advantage of those who are genuinely homeless.

"Anecdotally I could probably say that 85 or 90 per cent of those who are begging, we have an awareness that they actually have a roof over their head," Mr Mark told 1 NEWS.

Since the Christchurch earthquake homelessness has skyrocketed.  

A recent street count found more than 170 men and over 40 women living on the streets. But even more are begging.

"So I guess it's about making people aware that those two things, while they might seem that they are related, aren't necessarily the same," Mr Mark said.

The issue with beggars escalated last week when one disrupted the city tram line and was verbally abusive to the driver when asked to move.

Paul Lonesdale of the Christchurch City Business Association says often beggars "can become quite aggressive, and some of the business owners get quite concerned about it, it interferes with their business".

The attention has brought scrutiny to the homeless community, many feeling they now have to prove they are in need. 

"I haven't had a home since the earthquake," one homeless man said.

Another said: "You only really find out who the real homeless people are if you go through the abandoned buildings or if you go down the street at, like, three in the morning."

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