Winter 2017

Chris Farrelly

Auckland City Missioner

Standing with Auckland’s marginalised and vulnerableFor 97 years, the Auckland City Mission and supporters like you have stood hand-in-hand with the most marginalised and vulnerable people in our city, giving a voice to those who are silenced, and offering care and support for people with nowhere else to turn.

As a Mission supporter, you’ll know that we’re a place of last resort, open 365 days a year, providing assistance for Aucklanders in desperate need. Caring hands, listening ears, food, clothing, medical care, assistance with finding shelter, referrals to other agencies – these are all part of daily life at the Mission.

Much of the Mission’s work is unashamedly “at the bottom of the cliff,” where all other options have failed. Yet, the Mission is equally focused on addressing the underlying social issues plaguing our city and we remain committed to sustainable change.

l would like to highlight three areas where your support is helping to lift people back to the top of the proverbial cliff:

The Mission is now part of an initiative, supported by the government and Council, to permanently house our city’s most long-term, chronically homeless people. Called “Housing First,” this programme is being delivered by a collective of five agencies working across greater Auckland (www.housingfirst.co.nz). ln central Auckland, the Mission has teamed up with fellow social service agency Lifewise to provide permanent homes for rough sleepers, along with intensive wrap-around care, enabling these people to sustain their new tenancies and be supported to grow in wellness. You can learn more about this exciting initiative by turning the page.

My second example of “lifting up” is the Hepatitis C programme being run out of the Mission’s healthcare service. A significant number of Calder Centre patients have Hep C, and our clinic is working closely with renowned liver specialist and “lnnovator of the Year” Dr Ed Gane to be part of the role-out of a revolutionary treatment for Hep C. This will be life changing for the hundreds of people in our clinic who will be treated.

My third example is the Mission’s drug and alcohol detox facility, Federal Street, which is now only one of two detox units operating in Auckland. Almost 400 people per year are assisted to turn their lives around through this intensive residential programme.

These are just a few examples of “bending down,” “standing with,” and “lifting up” and are multiplied every day, thanks to your generosity.

Again, l thank you for being part of the solution, and for supporting this life-changing work.

Turn the page for some exciting news!

ln this issue…

• Housing First

• What’s on at the Mission this winter

• Aucklanders helping Aucklanders

• Meet Winter Warrior, Simon Smith

Mission News

This winter The Mission’s emergency food assistance will provide 108,000 meals for Auckland families.

The Mission has partnered with fellow social-service agency Lifewise to develop a “Housing First” model for central Auckland. This is a major initiative aimed at housing people who have been sleeping rough for an extended period of time, or who are regularly in-and-out of homelessness. We are aiming to house 30 people by the end of March, 2018.

Housing First is a model that recognises it’s easier for people to address issues such as mental health or substance abuse after they are housed. The priority is to move people into appropriate housing as quickly as possible, and then provide them with “wrap-around” support services to help them succeed.

There are five core principles that underpin the Housing First model:

1. lmmediate access to permanent housing with no housing readiness requirements

Housing First involves providing people with assistance in finding and obtaining safe, secure and permanent housing as quickly as possible. Eligibility for housing is not contingent on any conditions other than a willingness to maintain a tenancy.

2. Consumer choice and self-determination

Housing First is a person-centred approach that emphasises individualised choice in terms of housing and supports.

1. What do Housing First Peer Support Workers do?

Peer Support Workers are people who have lived on the streets in the past and have special relationships and insights that agencies might not have. We act as translators in a way, making terminology understandable to whanau on the street. We’re out walking the streets with people from various agencies, and we serve as sort of a visual mentor in that we prove that there is a way out.

Jhai from Papakura recently collected 98 socks and hats for the Mission using his own pocket money, as well as organising collections at Tehihi school and Hawkins Theatre!

Harley from Creative Cavalry had a bit of

spare time recently, so what did he do? He

picked up his guitar and went busking on

Queen Street for the Mission! Thanks to his

epic Dave Dobbyn and Crowded House covers,

Harley raised enough to cover the cost of two

individual emergency food parcels.

We are looking for motivated, passionate and inspiring people to join our Auckland Marathon team and help us reach our fundraising target of $45,000 at this year’s event.

Registration for the 2017 ASB Marathon is now open and an exclusive Charity Hero Entry is a great way to secure your place.

Create lifelong memories while making a difference to Aucklanders in desperate need by joining our Mission Team this October!

The Food Show brings delicious delights to Auckland from July 27th-30th, and we’re on the lookout for keen foodie volunteers to help out at our fundraising stall!

This is a fun way to meet fellow Mission supporters and help collect vital funds towards the Mission’s work with struggling families.

For more information, contact David at david.c@aucklandcitymission.org.nz or call (09) 303 9781 today.

Housing FirstWhat’s on at the Mission

this winter

lnterview with Housing First Peer Support Worker,

Rob Smith

For more information on Housing First visit housingfirst.co.nz

Run for a cause

lntroducing

The Food Show

We’re fundraising with

Entertainment Book!Become a Winter Warrior

Keep in touch with the Auckland City Mission

2017

• Housing - People are able to exercise some choice regarding the location and type of housing they receive (e.g. neighbourhood, type of unit). However, choice may be constrained by availability and affordability.

• Supports – People have choices in terms of what services they receive and when to start using services.

3. A harm reduction and recovery orientation approach

Housing First is not only focused on meeting basic needs but also on supporting recovery. This involves focusing on individual well-being, and ensures that people have access to a range of supports that enable them to grow and maintain social, recreational, educational, occupational and vocational activities. For those with addiction challenges, staff support individuals to reduce immediate and ongoing harm to their health.

4. lndividualised and person-driven supports

A person-driven approach recognises that individuals are unique, and so are their needs. Staff are responsible for proactively engaging their clients, making the service fit the individual instead of trying to make

the individual fit the service. Providers are committed to long-term offers of support which do not have a fixed end date, accepting that recovery takes a long time and varies by individual needs, characteristics and experiences.

5. Social and community integration

Part of the Housing First strategy is to help people integrate into their community and this requires socially supportive engagement and the opportunity to participate in meaningful activities. lndividuals are supported to develop increased self-esteem, self-worth and confidence. lndividuals are also supported to identify and pursue their strengths and goals, and to build or rebuild their whanau connections and networks of support.

2. What are some common challenges that people experience when they are housed after a long period of rough sleeping?

The most common challenge is the whanau you leave behind on the street. They were the security you had out there and to disconnect from those people is really hard. That’s a common reason why tenancies fall over. The majority of rough sleepers are Maori and the concept of manaakitanga is so fundamental that they carry it into their homes, which creates problems with tenancies.

3. You were sleeping rough at one point; who or what was it that helped you get housed?

lt was the connections l made on the street. l met good people who introduced me to the Mission’s Hobson Street Theatre Company. This was a safe space where you could just laugh and throw away all of that stuff going on outside and just be someone else. That led me into the art workshops (l used to love art as a child) and then the Homeless Committee and eventually Awhina Mai [a social group organising a range of activities facilitated by both the Mission and Lifewise].

4. Sometimes people who are rough sleeping will say they don’t want to be housed. Do you have any insights into why people might say this?

ln most cases where someone is saying this, it’s because they’ve had a bad experience in the past. There might have been so many hoops to jump through that they’ve just given up. Often a better question to ask is, “what would make you want a house?” lt’s important to really listen to people – talking to people and talking at them are two very different things.

5. What do you think is the biggest difference between the Housing First model and other models for assisting people who are experiencing homelessness?

Traditional models make you jump through hoops. At Housing First, we’ve done the work and tested different ideas out in order to get an understanding of what works for people. And lived homeless experience is – and always will be – key to this process.

Rob says one of the toughest challenges for people leaving the street is having to leave their “street whanau” out in the cold.

This year’s Entertainment Books are now on sale. Save yourself money every time you go out, and get inspired to try new restaurants and activities!

Memberships are available both as traditional voucher books and in app form, making it easy for you to take advantage of special offers no matter what your plans are.

To register for this year’s Auckland Marathon team, please email David at david.c@aucklandcitymission.org.nz or call (09) 303 9781.

Join this year’s Auckland City Mission Auckland Marathon team!

To ensure that proceeds from your Entertainment Book go to the Mission, visit: https://www.entertainmentbook.co.nz/orderbooks/979m19

Aucklanders helping Aucklanders

140 Hobson Street, Auckland

info@aucklandcitymission.org.nz

(09) 303 9200

aucklandcitymission.org.nz

facebook.com/CityMission

@AKcitymission

Glenn Curness from Ray White in Remuera donates a percentage from his commission on every home he sells. He’s pictured here with his wife and daughter (L) presenting staff member Tracy with the latest gift!

The Mission needs to raise $300,000 this winter in order to provide Aucklanders in desperate need with food, medical care, advice, advocacy and other essential services.

Winter is a difficult time of year for vulnerable Aucklanders, especially people sleeping rough. Cold, damp conditions make life miserable for low-income families as well, with many forced to choose between heating their homes and feeding their children.

Please become a Winter Warrior and give generously today. See overleaf to send your gift straight away.

• $20 pays for one hour of homeless outreach, enabling Mission staff to find and offer support to Auckland’s rough sleepers

• $65 covers the cost of one family-size food parcel, feeding four people in crisis for four days each

• $100 pays for 6 patients to visit a Doctor at the Mission’s low-cost Calder Health Centre

Housing First focuses on getting chronic rough

sleepers directly into housing and following with

wrap-around support.

The Housing First model

Homeless

Emergency

shelter

placement

Transitional

Housing

Permanent

Housing

Direct access

to permanent

housing with

supports

Client choice

Reference: Sam Tsemberis, Founder, Pathways to Housing

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Please help Aucklanders in needBy making a donation today, you will help those who have nowhere else to turn.

How do you support people in desperate need?

l’m an Assessment Professional at the Mission, which means that l work with people who visit us and find out what their needs are. Depending on the person or family, this might be a need for food, housing, basic furniture, warm clothing – and often emotional support as well.

What are some common reasons why people visit the Mission for support?

There are all kinds of reasons! While it’s sometimes one particular expense that lands a family in hardship, the underlying issue is usually that there’s not enough income to begin with. With a lot of people, regular expenses like rent and transport costs eat up everything in the budget, so extra costs like car repairs, tangi, or school-holiday-childcare land them in hardship.

We also see lots of families where children are being looked after by grandparents or extended whanau, and support networks haven’t kept up. Just last week, a woman in her early twenties came in. She was looking after three of her young siblings, because she was the only responsible person in her family who could care for them.

What’s your favourite part of your job?

l call them “sparkling moments”; those occasions where you come to understand what a client is going through and you’re able to reflect that back to them. That connection and that gratefulness – giving someone the sense that their story has been validated and understood – that’s my favourite part of my job.

Meet Winter Warrior,Simon Smith