Auckland City's mayor and councillors will lunch with the homeless and the people who watch out for them today.

The council is setting aside $20,000 to care for the homeless during the 2011 Rugby World Cup and the group Lifewise (formerly known as Methodist Mission Northern) is hosting the meal in order to talk about how the issue can best be handled.

Mayor John Banks says long term solutions and ideas on how organisations can work together to help the homeless will be discussed. He says the council is not looking to sweep them under the carpet during the tournament.