[selchie]

Another question we have is about homeless problems in NZ. I found a few papers on line, which were hopeful, but could have been written in an ivory tower. A complex issue, but I am focusing on what might be called disruptive vagrancy ? the sort of homeless who ?have a lifestyle which is disruptive to others and leads to public nuisance and disorder? (Wellington City Council?s Homelessness Strategy, August 2004). Do NZ agencies really deal effectively with disorderly sorts?

I ask because California has a big homeless problem, and doesn?t seem to be dealing with it very well. Not only are the ?down and out? people not getting the services they need, but the disruptive sorts (?feral humans?) are not adequately controlled. Our area, smack dab in the middle of the Emerald Triangle, attracts a bunch of shiftless potheads and meth addicts who cause frequent trouble, and generally get away with it. Communities are paralyzed because they can?t make the distinction between providing compassionate assistance and responding to nuisances.

While we were in NZ, we saw a few people who may have been homeless, but they were quiet and respectful. One fellow may have been orbiting Pluto, but seemed to be a harmless local fixture. It was so nice to not be harrassed, or need to go around a clot of beligerant ferals in the parks. Were we getting a realistic sample of the situation?