This morning Te Puea Marae in Mangere announced it will open its doors to the homeless once again, last year the marae sheltered almost 200 people throughout the coldest months of winter. At the same time, services in central Auckland are struggling to cope saying the number of Aucklanders needing help is going up whilst services are being cut. Auckland City Mission has said it's 'maxed out' and staff members are 'exhausted by the level of desperate need pouring through the charity's doors'. City missioner Chris Farrelly says this year they will hand out the same number of food parcels as last year, that's nearly 14,000, but says the number of cases the mission has to deal with has gone up, and they just don't have the capacity to process new cases.
You can help by donating to the city mission here.
Auckland City Mission 'Maxed Out' Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
