Hamilton's homeless is population continuing to rise steadily, with large groups of people congregating on the main street.
Garden Place, Hamilton. Photo: RNZ / Jo O'Brien
Locals have commented on a community Facebook page of spotting up to 25 people in one day begging and hanging around on Victoria Street.
The manager of Hamilton's Christian night shelter, Peter Humphreys, said people would often choose the shelter over transitional housing because there was more support.
"I find the guys at the shelter actually enjoy it there because they've got friends there, they've got a social outlet," he said.
"Because once they get into a unit, it's quite often they're paying using most of their benefit on that accommodation and they have no surplus cash, and some of those people are now hanging around the city or in the suburbs."
He said the number of homeless and people needing further support was continuing to grow at a fast rate.
He said this year he's expecting a lot of students to need help, as he believes rent prices could rise as a result of the extra $50 a week students will get.
