Lyn Tankersley says homeless people in Masterton will soon have a safe place to sleep.
To that end, accommodation for 13 is being fashioned from a once-derelict hall near central Masterton and is being transformed into “a haven of hope”.
“My father was a Presbyterian minister. My mother was a Presbyterian minister’s daughter. The motto of my life is, ‘What would Jesus do?’”
At 68, Tankersley is doing what Jesus would do, engaging in a massive community fundraising and work campaign that has helped bankroll the project.
About $175,000 has been raised so far.
Tradies are doing the physical work, but Tankersley, the homeless refuge’s driving force, credits many friends and local businesses with ongoing support for the project.
While the refuge will house 13 people suffering what she describes as extreme homelessness, Tankersley estimates there are about 15-20 people in that category in the small Wairarapa town right now.
She is hopeful the nearly complete refuge will open before Christmas.
Refuge with a difference
The new accommodation is a refuge, not a shelter she says. The distinction is important.
Masterton already has a night shelter but it is restricted to men and it bans alcohol, she explains. But the town has a number of homeless women too – and its share of alcoholics.
Working with the need as she sees it and in what is probably a New Zealand first, Tankersley says the new refuge will allow a place for alcohol as well as men and women.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how it goes” says Tankersley. “A lot of people are going to be watching to see what happens. It’ll be a good learning curve.”
She firmly believes alcoholic homeless people won’t use the new facility if alcohol is banned. There will be rules, though.
“We’re making it really strict. It’s only for Masterton’s extreme homeless. We’re working very closely with Masterton police to make sure that happens” she says.
Accommodation by invitation only
Tankersley says as the refuge will be free-of-charge, being allowed to stay there will be by invitation only. This means people will be able to sleep in the same bed each night and enjoy breakfast and a shower.
The invitation-only rule will be strictly adhered to.
“We don’t want anybody coming from other areas because this is a free thing. They don’t have to pay. Once people in Palmy or Wellington start hearing about it, they’ll start coming over the hill … we don’t want that to happen.”
Volunteers will staff the facility initially, before full-time workers are employed, she says.
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