Shower, laundry service ‘helps bring dignity’ in city

Free laundry and shower services are coming to Hamilton for homeless people in the city.

Not for profit organisation Orange Sky is bringing its volunteer-led mobile van unit to Hamilton and says there will be ‘‘no questions asked’’ of people who use it.

‘‘If you can’t have a shower it’s not a great feeling, so it will help bring dignity for those people,’’ programme manager for community impact Lisa Sprlyan said.

Orange Sky’s move into Kirikiriroa comes as inflation and the cost of living are on the rise, on top of the lingering impacts of Covid-19, which local providers say have resulted in some of the most serious cases of poverty they’ve seen.

The van service will officially launch in Hamilton in November and Sprlyan who parked up by a food provider in Frankton for a meet and greet, agreed that the level of vulnerability had increased.

‘‘Certainly from what I’ve seen, with Covid, that has changed things and a lot more new faces are turning up,’’ she said.

Also outside St Vincent De Paul, where a free lunch was provided, 29-year-old expectant mother Janny Puamanuka said times were hard with her partner being the sole breadwinner.

‘‘Since I found out we were expecting it’s been tough and having to navigate the costs of things and thinking ‘oh shit we’ve only got one income’ . . . Like how we are going to make things work.’’

Dan Sorenson, 48, was born and raised in Hamilton but said he has been living in a tent for three years.

‘‘You’ve got to prepare yourself for the weather, food. I’ve got to collect firewood constantly to keep warm at night.’’

James Brodie, 26, was doing occasional work in Te Aroha but said he needed the benefit to get by and many people were doing it tough.

Orange Sky has been running a free mobile shower and laundry service in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and Kirikiriroa was next on the radar. The group partners with local community providers so the van can be on a familiar, easy to access site.

According to Orange Sky’s 2022 research, one in six New Zealanders has experienced homelessness and more than half of the population had become more concerned about their financial situation.