by Selwyn Manning:

A “skyrocketing” number of homeless people are seeking help from the Auckland City Mission.

The centre provides shelter for people, opening twice daily, providing hot drinks and left over restaurant food.

Over 13,300 visits have been made to the City Mission in the past six months. That is up more than 50 percent on the same period last year.

The Methodist Mission, which runs a central city night shelter reportedly is seeing a 20 percent rise in people needing a bed for the night.

The increases are placing a financial strain on the charities.

Spokespersons for the Mission are asking Government to assist before the problem of homelessness spirals out of control.

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