A refurbished booze bus in the Bay of Plenty has helped dozens of vulnerable people during lockdown.
When a police booze bus was listed for sale local iwi realised the hidden potential as a vehicle that could help the homeless and jumped on board.
"It also can function as a mobile office, it has wifi setup it runs of solar, generators - the whole shaboodle,” Ngai te Rangi Chief Executive Paora Stanley told 1 NEWS.
It serves the community, providing medical care for those who would otherwise go without. But as the country was forced into lockdown, the bus took on a new role as the city’s most desperate began to need the most care.
"We had a call from MSD and it said 'listen we're having trouble housing some people and see that you're doing some work there, will you be interested in giving us a hand?'” said Mr Stanley.
Working with the Ministry of Social Development, Mr Stanley has helped find accommodation for nearly 60 people.
"It does a couple of things it gives them a warm dry place to be sleeping, instead of sleeping rough or in cars, but it also starts giving an opportunity for people to start getting meals,” said Mr Stanley.
Each candidate is interviewed by medical staff and social services, that whole process taking three hours.
More than a 1000 units have been put aside for homeless people and rough sleepers across the country, 600 are now occupied.
Housing Minister Megan Woods says when lockdown ends they won’t be kicked out.
"We're working with with iwi and community housing partners to make sure that we have a robust medium and long term plan so that we can continue to work with these people,” says Ms Woods.
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