By Amy Williams of RNZ
People blaming high crime on those who live at a city mission apartment block have the wrong end of the stick, residents say.
Rupert D’Arth is among 80 residents of Auckland City Mission apartment block, Te Ao Mārama, on a side street in the city’s red light district near Karangahape Road.
He was at a recent community hui where locals raised concerns about crime and pointed fingers at the place where he lives.
“There’s always been violence, there’s always been drugs, all that stuff on K’ Road,” D’Arth said.
“It’s not Ponsonby Road, it’s different, it has more flair and colour if you want to say it that way, instead of violence and crime.”
He was the first resident to rent an apartment when the city mission took on the building’s lease a year and a half ago, and is now part of the local business and safety associations.
Many of the apartment’s residents struggled with addiction and mental health, and D’Arth said he understood the community’s concerns but they had security and wrap-around support.
For D’Arth, having an apartment of his own was a second chance.
He had been homeless for over a year, staying in emergency accommodation during the pandemic, before being offered a city mission apartment.
“I always felt unsafe. I’d go out to get my groceries to come out and they could lift the door, slide it across, and everything I had was gone. Blankets, pillows, everything so it was like starting again every day.”
D’Arth said his new place felt safe but it took about six months for people to settle in – many had been sleeping rough.
“I was scared of these people because they’re street people, that’s rude to say but I didn’t know if they were violent or all about drugs so I was a little stand-offish at the start.”
He said there had been an adjustment period for those who had not had a roof over their head beforehand.