An organisation that supports Tauranga’s homeless is appealing to the public for help to find a new home of its own, with its base facing demolition.

Under The Stars (UTS) has been advised by Tauranga City Council that it needs to move out of the Cliff Rd Building that serves as a multi-purpose venue for the community at 45 Cliff Rd.

“The building is scheduled for demolition. It is an old, ageing building; it is a little bit rough around the edges, but we make do with it,” Under The Stars general manager Chris Emmett said.

“We’re actually working really well with council around replacement. We’ve got until May 2028 [to move], but we’re hoping that sometime during next year we can find a replacement and we can move kind of in the middle of the year when it’s a little bit less busy for us.”

Under The Stars began at the end of 2014 when Tauranga woman Liz Kite donated food to a woman who’d set up a plastic table outside Tauranga City Library. Kite kept the initiative going, and for two years Under the Stars worked outside in all weather, providing food, korero, clothing, and other necessities to people of no fixed abode.

In June 2016, Under the Stars became a charitable trust, and in July 2016 began leasing the hall at 45 Cliff Rd.

The Cliff Rd Cliff Rd Building that serves as a multi-purpose venue will be demolished. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

Today the organisation offers a free meal service at Thursday lunchtime and Saturday evenings. “We have about 100 volunteers that work on a roster … and that works really well for us," Emmett said.

The organisation also offered showers to rough sleepers and clothes on a regular basis and ran a winter appeal to give tents and sleeping bags to those homeless.

Emmett said UTS tries its best to operate as a lean, mean machine in terms of operating costs. “We really pride ourselves in turning over donations into real value in the community.”

Emmett said it cost about $120,000 per year to operate Under The Stars. Grants from community trusts and funders included Manawa Trust (formerly TECT) and Tauranga City Council, plus sponsorships and donations.

“What they [the grants] do is they provide the backbone for us to be able to operate the service. They help us sustain what Rose and I [the two part-time staff] do and that means any money donated can go directly to the cause or to the coalface, and so that $120,000 allows us to put out about $600,000 worth of output a year.”

Emmett said moving off the Cliff Rd site presented an opportunity for UTS to really look at the way its operates and gain a better facility to work out of.

“Cliff Rd is past its use-by date, and everyone agrees on that, but we’re a little bit nervous about finding a replacement. [However], we’d love to have a facility with items such as a walk-in freezer.”

Emmett said UTS was making their move publicly known – because they need to secure another central city site.

“We’re putting it out there so someone might come up with a really unique solution for us.”

Emmett said a few business owners had contacted them but so far nothing had worked out.

He appealed to landowners and business owners in the central city to get in touch if they have an idea or solution for UTS.

The organisation does need to be located in the CBD or in the central city area, Emmett said.

“The reason why is that’s where a lot of homeless and rough sleepers congregate or that’s where they kind of see themselves as hanging out and it’s because they feel safer in those environments.

“There’s more lights, there’s more cameras, there’s more police presence, etc. They are very vulnerable out in the fringes of the community.”

Emmett said UTS would ideally need a hall or facility to seat 50 to 80 people. “We could look at the way we do things; we can change, we could adapt, but it would have to have a good kitchen and be somewhere we’d be able to operate from safely.”

A decent kitchen would also allow UTS to continue its monthly bulk cook, where volunteers whip up 600 meals and give them to the local foodbank.

Showering facilities would be ideal, but if a facility had none, Emmett said mobile shower units could be arranged.

“If we found a place that was nearly suitable, we could look at investing in it in the long term, and that’s what we’d do.”

Emmett said UTS’ arrangement with Bay Venues (on behalf of Tauranga City Council), is a free lease.

“So, it doesn’t cost us a lot at the moment, but we’re happy to look at something [that will cost], and we are trying to build in some resilience into our funding so that we are able to pay a lease if we needed to.

“We’re almost there actually.”

Tauranga City Council acting head of spaces and places Ross Hudson told The Weekend Sun that the council had confirmed with Under the Stars that they may continue to occupy the building until April 30, 2028.

“The Cliff Rd building has reached the end of its practical life, and council has determined it is no longer sustainable to continue investing in maintenance or renewal,” Hudson said.

“Without significant and ongoing investment, the condition of the facility would continue to deteriorate, creating increasing safety and operational risks. In that context, demolition has been considered the most responsible and sustainable course of action.”

Hudson said the council is continuing to work with Under the Stars to explore all possible options “but at this stage, no other council facilities in the city would be sufficient for Under the Star’s operational requirements”.

For anyone who thinks they may have a suitable facility for UTS to utilise, email: [email protected]