January Update from DCM - together we can end homelessness

• 31 Jan 2020
• Downtown Community Ministry
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line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .headerContainer .mcnTextContent,.headerContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:16px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .bodyContainer .mcnTextContent,.bodyContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:16px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .footerContainer .mcnTextContent,.footerContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:14px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } Housing the homeless It is definitely the season of change here at DCM. With the launch of two new teams in 2020, we have had a number of new kaimahi join us. In our November update, we spent time with members of our new Outreach team; this year we will also have a chat with some of our Housing First kaimahi. The front page of this morning's Dominion Post focussed on the homeless crisis in Wellington and included an interview with DCM Director Stephanie McIntyre. As Stephanie observes "We've got more resources and wrap-around support but no bricks and mortar." You can read the article here. With this in mind, the first Housing First kaimahi we are going to get to know better is Peni Fiti. Meet Peni   We have already introduced you to Peni Fiti, whose role within the Housing First team is focused on the procurement of suitable houses for people who have been homeless for a long period of time. This month we had a chat with Peni, and got to know a little more about him. Talofa Peni! Well, it’s been six months now since you joined the team here. What have you most enjoyed about your time at DCM so far? That would have to be getting to know our taumai, and especially seeing some of them move in to permanent housing. Equally I’ve enjoyed getting to know our staff – we’ve got a pretty cool bunch of people here! What are your goals for 2020? I want us to have agreed the lease of 30 properties for our Housing First programme. We CAN do this – but only with the support of all the communities and individuals who support DCM. And in a personal space, my key goal is to exercise more regularly. When people ask you how they can be part of the solution to homelessness, what do you suggest? Lease a property to Housing First - or if you don’t have a property, then spread the word to your friends who do (own a rental or investment property). Many people don’t know they can lease their rental property to a CHP (a Community Housing Provider) to support those who are currently homeless, providing them with a home. I love explaining to them how this works – give me a shout out if you would like to know more! What’s on your bucket list? Watch a heavyweight boxing title fight live in Las Vegas. What’s your favourite...? Food? Malaysian food. Waiata? E i Hoa. Sport? Rugby/boxing – can’t split the two. Film? Starsky and Hutch. Way to spend a Saturday in Wellington? Princess Bay sunset with the aiga - bonfire, bbq and beer *weather permitting of course. At DCM we often share “moments” from our interactions with taumai. What’s a special “moment” you enjoyed sharing with others? We recently housed a taumai who had lived on the streets for many years. When I asked him what he was looking forward to most in his new home, he replied, “I can’t wait to cook a steak on my own oven”. He was an ex-chef and I don’t think he had cooked for himself for a while (possibly years). It reminded me that I can’t take anything for granted, and I must always be grateful. And of course, it’s a reminder of the amazing things that we can achieve together. If you would like to be part of this, to have a chat with Peni, or have him come and meet with your community, group or business, do get in touch. <!-- --> Medical and Dental support for our taumai The generosity of the medical professionals who volunteer their time enables us to offer a dental service, physiotherapy, audiology and ophthalmology appointments here at DCM. In 2019, we were able to provide 190 dental treatments, 30 audiologist, 36 eye doctor and 58 physiotherapy appointments for our taumai. The stories below give some idea of how significant these supports are in the lives of the most vulnerable people in our city. Meet Jeff Photo by Helen Mitchell. J has been rough sleeping for some time; he has been coming to Te Hāpai most days and is now working with our Housing First team to access housing. His physical health has been seriously impacted by his rough sleeping and substance use, along with a serious long-term health condition. J has had several appointments with our physiotherapist, Jeff, to address the pain and discomfort he experiences because of his rough sleeping and multiple health challenges. P is one of our older taumai with a long history of homelessness. He has been working with DCM over many years; he is currently housed and has the support of our Sustaining Tenancies team to enable him to sustain his housing. Due to a violent incident some years ago, he has very significant mobility issues. Initially, P was too embarrassed to receive treatment from Jeff, but was prepared to have a chat with him. As a result of this connection and P’s strong relationships with other DCM kaimahi, P was later willing to receive much-needed treatment from Jeff for his leg. A fiercely independent man, the range of supports which DCM has been able to offer him have further strengthened our relationship with him, and he is in a good space in his whare. Meet our dentists Photo by Chris Bing. One vulnerable man, M, has been a long term Night Shelter resident, with significant mental health issues. He is supported by the TACT team and has also been attending Te Hāpai for some years now. A quiet man, as he has begun to build connection with our kaimahi, he has opened up more. This month we had a gap in our dental appointments, and invited him to see the dentist. He hadn’t complained about the pain he was experiencing, but the dentist discovered that he needed some urgent work. M was really pleased with the treatment he received from dentist Ruth. As a result, he has shared more with us and is engaging with DCM services. DCM assisted R with housing many years ago; a toothache brought him back to us this month. He needed several extractions; dentist Ceri extracted one quarter of his teeth in that appointment; another appointment has been made for him here at DCM and we will be supporting him to get dentures. While he was chatting to Ceri, he opened up about how unhappy he was in his whare and how he was planning to exit his tenancy and to “sleep under a bridge for a while”.  Ceri immediately raised this with the DCM team. After his appointment he had a chat with DCM kaimahi Alan who supports Wellington City Housing tenants to sustain their tenancies. With the support of DCM, R is now working through the issues he is experiencing so that he can sustain his tenancy.   Meet Lisa Photo by John Williams. After a long period of rough sleeping and couch surfing, M was housed by DCM in a Wellington City Housing tenancy and has successfully maintained his tenancy for more than a year now. DCM kaimahi had noticed that M was difficult to speak with, and struggled to hear. M saw our audiologist Lisa as a walk-in appointment. He was intoxicated and not able to undertake a hearing test; however Lisa was able to remove ear wax. M’s hearing continued to be a challenge, and at the next audiology session, he was in the right space to complete a hearing test. This revealed that he is profoundly deaf. Lisa has fitted M for hearing aids and these have been ordered for him – at no cost to him. L is one of DCM’s most challenging taumai; he has been in and out of housing, has many health challenges and has worked with DCM over many years. L saw Lisa at DCM; to our surprise, she discovered that he is very deaf and has been all his life. As a child, this was a major barrier to learning and he cannot read or write; this is something that he is intensely embarrassed by. This makes his dealings with housing and Work and Income even more difficult. Meet Paul Photo by Mary Hutchinson. T has been struggling to maintain her Housing New Zealand tenancy and has been supported by our Sustaining Tenancies team, along with a mental health service. She came in to see our eye doctor because her glasses had broken. Paul was able to provide a check-up which revealed that the reading glasses she had been using were not sufficient for her. She has significant short-sightedness and needs new glasses, which Paul has been able to provide for her. T was also delighted to receive a much-needed dental appointment for a toothache. <!-- --> How you can help Will you become one of our regular supporters - the wonderful group of people who have set up a monthly AP to support our work with people who are homeless? Can you put us in touch with people or groups who own rental properties? We also urgently need more dentists and dental assistants to become part of the team at the DCM Dental Service. Next time you visit your dentist, please ask if she or he volunteers at DCM. If the answer is yes, then thank them and lift them up for the important work they are doing for people who are homeless. If not, maybe you can encourage them to get in touch with us. <!-- --> Please help us get the message out there! Forward this email on to everyone you can think of who may be interested in how to respond to homelessness, and just generally people who are passionate about Wellington. <!-- --> Read More Success Stories Nāku te rourou, nāu te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi With your basket and my basket, the people will thrive <!-- --> Copyright © 2019 DCM. All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: DCMPO Box 6133Marion SqWellington, Wellington 6011 New ZealandAdd us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
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