Wellington City Mission and Emerge Aotearoa in Waikato are the first organisations to deliver the two-year trial. Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka announced that up to 100 participants will receive personalised assistance to address complex needs.

Wrap-around services could include access to healthcare, budgeting advice, employment support, counselling and tenancy guidance. Help with reconnecting to family and community would also be provided.

Critical gaps addressed

Murray Edridge (pictured with Tama Potaka), Chief Executive of Wellington City Mission, welcomed the initiative saying it addresses critical gaps in existing support systems.

Eldridge said he opposed emergency housing "for a long time" because of the lack of support for those using it. "They don't leave better than they came… I suspect they leave worse."

"This gives us the opportunity to work more creatively with people, helping them make good decisions and transition to a better housing situation" he said. "Housing alone isn't the solution - addressing challenges like mental health, addiction and family disconnection is just as vital."

Trusted to deliver

The trial is part of a broader government effort to reduce reliance on emergency housing. The goal is to cut its use by 75% by 2030.

Potaka said the first focus in achieving the target was to move "whanau with tamariki out of emergency housing motels and into more stable housing through our Priority One policy".

Earlier measures have helped move hundreds of families, including more than 1400 children, into stable accommodation.

Edridge said the City Mission and Emerge Aotearoa were being trusted to deliver what was needed rather than doing just what the government told them to do.

"This is an opportunity where the government has said 'We trust you as a provider … to do some things a wee bit differently and be innovative in how you approach the issues' - so that is different, that is new, and I hope it will enable us to make real progress with some of the people who have been in emergency housing for way too long."

Sources

RNZ

Beehive Releases

CathNews New Zealand

The six-years of planning, contriving and building the facility is now at an end.

City Missioner Murray Edridge says the result "... is way beyond our expectations and our dreams, our ambitions and our aspirations".

Whakamaru's facilities

The light, airy building stretches five floors and 5500 square metres. It has a suite of showers, washing machines and dryers.

"If you haven't got anywhere to live, if you're living rough, or if you're staying in a house - and there's many of these in the community - where they don't have hot water, then this is a privilege" says Edridge.

The facility includes a cafe, a dental surgery, a medical centre, meeting spaces, a chapel and, on the top two floors, 35 long-term transitional housing apartments for those who need "a bit of extra support".

A social supermarket - just like any supermarket - is stocked with quality goods. It runs on a points system rather than cash - points are allocated according to family size.

It's about dignity and respect in the context of food supply, says Edridge.

Cafe a jewel

To Edridge, the jewel in Whakamaru's crown is Craig and Gail's cafe.

"Come and have a coffee with me at Craig and Gail's, it sounds like someone's home" he says.

"The beauty of this cafe is that you can come and get amazing kai, great coffee - the best coffee in Wellington ... but best of all you get to sit next to someone who may not look like you, may not have what you have, may be at a different place in their journey, so that makes this a very special place."

Craig and Gail's runs on the 'contribute-what-you-can' model.

People can choose to pay what their meal is worth, or more, if they want to. Less, if they don't have enough, or nothing if they have no money that day. It makes no difference to what they get or how they're treated.

Human dignity 24/7

When the doors close to the public, it continues as a 24/7 crisis recovery cafe.

It's there for people who might otherwise end up at the hospital or with the police, when they might just need a cup of tea and some support, or a referral to a health or social service.

Whakamaru was designed to ensure everyone in the community can uphold their dignity and connect with others, says Edridge.

The recent increase in demand for the Wellington City Mission services shows we all need to rethink how we 'do community' he says.

Official opening

Formally opened by Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro, Whakamaru's name was gifted by Te Ati Awa and means to safeguard, protect and nurture.

Funded largely by the community with support from the Government and Wellington City Council, Whakamaru is a place for people from all walks of life to gather, get a coffee or food, or seek help.

Source

• RNZ

Social Supermarket General Manager Jeremy Neeve said they see roughly 130 clients through the door a week, however that's on the rise and numbers are growing every week.

"We know the cost of groceries generally is going up, we see that reflecting in the number of people coming to us for assistance. The increase we're noticing is quite dramatic," he says.

They're even building a new office and accommodation building which will house a replacement social supermarket to cope with the extra volume. Read more

Mana whenua gifted the new Wellington City Mission building its name - Whakamaru - a symbol of shelter, safeguarding and protection reflecting the community hub's purpose.

Essential services

Located near the Basin Reserve, the nearly complete five-storey Whakamaru community hub will gather numerous essential services under its roof.

These include -

• transitional housing for 40 people
• a social supermarket (offering foodbank shoppers choice and preserving their dignity)
• a pay-as-you-feel community café
• a state-of-the-art medical centre
• space being set aside for financial mentoring and social work services

Whakamaru is likely to serve about 4,000 vulnerable individuals in its first year, says Wellington City Missioner Murray Edridge.

The medical centre will offer patients comprehensive medical capability with five GPs, a mental health team, an optometrist and a podiatrist.

Safe and inclusive

Edridge says the project aims to make a safe, inclusive space that mirrors the familiar comfort of everyday places.

He hopes Whakamaru will further the Wellington City Mission's goal of breaking down the barriers and stigma associated with accessing essential services and supporting and building an inclusive community without division.

"We continuously review our services to ensure they are fit for purpose as the needs of the community change and grow. The creation of Whakamaru is about curating a space for the community - no matter where you are in life, you will be welcome here," Edridge says.

"Whakamaru will benefit the entire Wellington region..."

The past year has seen the Mission record a 47 percent increase in demand for food. Just in the last quarter, it has seen a 28 percent increase in demand for its community lounge and a 40 percent surge in the use of its social supermarket offering.

Source

• Newshub

The Tory Street facility offers an opportunity to make a significant dent in a social issue in Wellington, the City Missioner says.

As one of the City Mission's team leaders, Dakota Tuari​, says: Te Pa Pori is a way the Mission is responding to citizens' needs.

Formerly a backpacker hostel, the building was bought by The Wellington Company for $7.5 million. Initially, the Company planned for the space to become a hotel for medium- to long-term stays.

"It's an exciting opportunity and the scale of the building is significant because it means we can house more people and work with people on the problems they're facing," Edridge says.

The building is a familiar sight to locals. Edridge says the new carvings at the building's entrance will make the stand-out zebra-striped building even more of a landmark than it is already.

Working with developer Alex Cassels​, the Wellington City Mission has a six-year lease for the building. This will help the Mission to provide transitional housing and its support services on a larger scale, Edridge says.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development would be underwriting the full costs of the lease.

Te Pa Pori includes 83 apartments - more than 70 of which are one-bedroom units. People living in these rooms have their own bathroom,

There are also communal spaces for people to gather.

By Tuesday 43 people had moved into the building. The Wellington City Mission plans to house four communities one each for men, women, couples and transgender people. Residents must be aged 18 and older.

One of the new residents is Tanoa Aulavemai. In the past, he says he never asked for help when he was struggling. In June, however, he found Wellington City Mission's website and decided to ask for help. Since then, he has been living in another Mission transitional housing facility, Te Pa Maru​, on Taranaki St.

As that facility is about to be refurbished, he has moved to Te Pa Pori​, on Tory St. The first thing he​ did when he got a sneak peek at what his new room might look like was make a beeline for the bed.

Aulavemai says he feels spoilt and excited about seeing his new home. "I like chatting with other tenants as we're all kind of in the same boat," he says.

He is glad he decided to get help. With continued guidance from Wellington City Mission from housing to their other services, he says he now feels as though he is "heading to something brighter."

"Before, I didn't think there was any hope, but I have a sense of direction and I know the future is going to be bright. I'm glad to be here," he says.

Source

• Stuff
• Image: Waatea News

Instead of making up parcels for clients, Wellington City Mission welcomed its first customers to pick their own items at its social supermarket on Tuesday.

This move provides people who need support with choice.

The social supermarket - the first of its kind in New Zealand - is just like any other supermarket, with fruit and vegetables, sanitary products, pasta, cheese and baked beans lined up along the aisles.

Wellington City Mission staff and volunteers are at hand to help customers choose what to select for themselves and their families.

Anyone in need across the Wellington region is allowed to go to the supermarket.

Items are free. Instead of using cash, shoppers are given a number of points to spend depending on their family size and whether they were shopping for themselves.

Items cost between one and five points. Items worth one point include sanitary products and canned food. Five point items include nappies, baby formula and chocolate-dipped almonds.

This year, Wellington City Mission's food parcel service will be gradually phased out as people shop at the social supermarket.

For Wellington City Missioner Murray Edridge​, the social supermarket represents "dignity in choice."

"We have so many families in the community who live life on the edge that it takes very little to push them over - more families are reaching out for our services too because of Covid-19," Edridge says.

"It's never just about food - it reflects other things and the big one is the cost of housing, which is so high in Wellington. There's so much pressure and stress to pay the bills that sometimes there's not enough money leftover to buy food."

"The social supermarket is giving people the opportunity to choose and there's dignity in choice. The experience of shopping is going to be really powerful," Edridge said.

People could have a sense of "normality" in what they did without feeling stigmatised by their circumstances, he said.

The supermarket is open from Monday to Friday to shoppers by appointment only. Each appointment lasts about half an hour.

Chris Quin​, the chief executive of Foodstuffs North Island, says Foodstuffs staff installed 250 shelves and stacked 3000 products for the supermarket.

"I think we've cracked something here that will make a difference," he says.

For parents to be able to tell their kids they were going shopping, gave families respect and dignity, he says.

People wanting to shop at the social supermarket can visit the Mission's reception in Newtown to make an appointment.

Later this year, the supermarket will move to the Mission's new community building in Wellington's Mt Cook suburb.

The building will have a community cafe, kitchens, laundry services, public bathrooms and showers, a space for people to pray and 35 housing units designed to accommodate people experiencing chronic homelessness.

In September 2020, Wellington City Mission received $10 million from the Government as part of its "shovel-ready" programme. Whakamaru will be complete in 2022.

Source

• Stuff
• Image:Stuff