One business is leaving Greerton and others are talking about not renewing their leases because of a growing issue with homeless vagrants, says Greerton Mainstreet manager Sally Benning.

She lays the blame on an organisation that has taken to feeding the hungry and homeless.

Businesses are threatening to leave Greerton because of increasing numbers of vagrants in the area.

'We have only become aware of it in the last six weeks. There is an organization, with very good intentions I'm sure, feeding the homeless on a Friday night outside one of the businesses.

'We commend them for what they are doing but we don't necessarily commend the place they are doing it.”

The food giveaway is two doors from a takeaway restaurant and another business opening in the evening.

'That business is moving out of Greerton next month,” says Sally.

'There are a couple of businesses in the block of shops who are making noises about not renewing leases, because they are seeing these people.”

Sally began working in Greerton last October and says they weren't experiencing the issues then.

Three or four of the homeless are well known to Greerton Mainstreet and police, says Sally.

'Very rarely does a week go by now where I'm not in contact with the police over these guys either sleeping in the alcove of the hall, and/or openly drinking alcohol in public places - and it is an alcohol free zone.

'The police have been in and trespassed one of these guys on two occasions in the last six weeks.”

It's happened before. They either get taken away or moved on and then they return.

'The concerning issue for us is the effect it is happening on local businesses,” says Sally.

There are two guys who are regularly sitting on the public footpath begging. The police tell her they can't do anything because it's a public space.

'As you can appreciate it is not a good look. The bigger issue around the guys sleeping rough or sleeping outside, they are all drinking.

'Very often on a Monday morning, I have to go and put my rubber gloves on and collect the debris. I don't have to but because it looks so awful; beer cans, booze boxes, wine boxes and whatever, so it is a public litter problem.”

Sally mentions the issue in her report to the city council Monitoring Committee meeting this week and was replying to a question from Councillor Bill Grainger.