When Hine Joseph was 18 years old, she was living on the street and carrying a penknife for protection. Three years later, she is securely housed in a flat managed by VisionWest Community Trust, in West Auckland, and says her biggest goal is finding a regular job and, one day, moving into a place she Read more
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has rejected a plea from 59 organizations to lift the level of welfare payments before Christmas. Trade unions, charities and poverty action groups were among those asking the government to address mass unemployment and poverty. Working through umbrella group ActionStation Aotearoa [New Zealand], the groups published an open letter, saying the Read more
Within minutes of being installed outside a US church, a statue called ‘Jesus the Homeless’ attracted attention and a police call-out. The bronze statue, depicting Jesus Christ as a homeless person lying under a blanket, had only been installed in the Cleveland churchyard for 20 minutes before the police were informed. The church’s pastor Fr Alex Read more
More than 10,000 Anchorage families live in poverty, with a looming risk of homelessness, and hundreds more already stay in temporary shelters, a number expected to rise amid the coronavirus pandemic. With grant funding from Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos, Catholic Social Services expects to make a serious dent in Anchorage’s home crisis as it Read more
Taupo’s St Patrick’s Catholic School Year 7 and 8 students stayed in cardboard boxes last Thursday night and fasted on Friday. Sponsored by friends and family, the students raised $2400 to go towards backpack bedrolls and sleeping bags and washing facilities for the homeless, and also for foodbanks in Taupō and Tūrangi. Read more
Wellington City Mission’s future community hub has received $10 million from the Government. The new building will have a community cafe, a social supermarket and 35 housing units designed to accommodate and care for people experiencing chronic homelessness. Read more
Catholic charities in the UK are warning that that youth homelessness is on the rise. Young people are leading a significant rise in the number of people sleeping rough and facing homelessness in various ways. “If you care about homelessness, youth homelessness should be at the top of your agenda,” the chief executive of the Read more
Communities struggling to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown are the subject of a new study by the Salvation Army. The study reports three major areas of concern seriously impacting New Zealand communities, a lack of mental health support, insecure housing and inadequate incomes. These areas of concern are forcing people to look Read more
A trickle of rough sleepers returning to Auckland streets is not a sign of rising homelessness, NGOs say. However, they are bracing for a second wave of homelessness in the city as the recession starts to bite. Read more
Community housing providers are calling on the Government to support both the homeless and the construction sector with permanent housing for the thousands of homeless. Bernie Smith, chief executive of Monte Cecilia Housing Trust, says the Government had spent massive amounts on getting people into emergency housing or motels before the Covid-19 crisis. Read more