November Update from DCM - Together We Can End Homelessness

• 29 Nov 2020
• Downtown Community Ministry
• 96 November Update from DCM - Together We Can End Homelessness p{ margin:10px 0; padding:0; } table{ border-collapse:collapse; } h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6{ display:block; margin:0; padding:0; } img,a img{ border:0; height:auto; outline:none; text-decoration:none; } body,#bodyTable,#bodyCell{ height:100%; margin:0; padding:0; width:100%; } .mcnPreviewText{ display:none !important; } #outlook a{ padding:0; } img{ -ms-interpolation-mode:bicubic; } table{ mso-table-lspace:0pt; mso-table-rspace:0pt; } .ReadMsgBody{ width:100%; } .ExternalClass{ width:100%; } p,a,li,td,blockquote{ mso-line-height-rule:exactly; } a[href^=tel],a[href^=sms]{ color:inherit; cursor:default; text-decoration:none; } p,a,li,td,body,table,blockquote{ -ms-text-size-adjust:100%; -webkit-text-size-adjust:100%; } .ExternalClass,.ExternalClass p,.ExternalClass td,.ExternalClass div,.ExternalClass span,.ExternalClass font{ line-height:100%; } a[x-apple-data-detectors]{ color:inherit !important; text-decoration:none !important; font-size:inherit !important; 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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; } } Latest stories and updates from DCM The end of an era A letter from Stephanie Stephanie and Kaye Clark at this month’s DCM AGM Tēnā koutou katoa As many of you will know, my time as Director of this very special organisation, DCM, will come to an end in December. I want to thank you all for your support, and to challenge and encourage you to continue your commitment to the most marginalised people in the years ahead. During my time at DCM, our focus has been on one key marginalised group – those who are experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of homelessness. We have adopted the tagline “together we can end homelessness”. One of the highlights of my time as Director has been the way in which this “together” has grown, with so many individuals, groups, businesses, funders and agencies joining us in our commitment to supporting the most vulnerable to thrive. I also want to pay particular tribute to our taumai themselves, for the courage they display when they “pick up the paddle” and join us on a journey to sustainable housing and greater wellbeing.   Many things have changed in the past 17 years, and much has changed in the landmark year which 2020 has proven to be. With more of the most marginalised people now newly housed, or in emergency housing while they wait to move in to their own home, we must ensure that these taumai are supported to sustain their housing, and do not fall back in to homelessness. I always enjoy sharing stories with you, and this month it has been my pleasure to share the story of Joanne, one of our peer support workers. I have a particular passion for peer support work; it provides an opportunity for those who are now stably housed to obtain employment, while at the same time supporting the newly housed to settle in their homes and sustain their tenancies.   Thank you so much for your support of DCM, and of me. I leave knowing that DCM’s vision is in good hands, with so many of you committed to our kaupapa and to lifting up the most marginalised people in our city.   Ngā mihi mahana, Stephanie McIntyre Director    Would you like to send a message for Stephanie on the occasion of her retirement? Email Matt at matthew@dcm.org.nz <!-- --> Joanne's story Joanne with Arthur at his whare. We shared Arthur’s story with you in 2018. Arthur has now been housed for more than two years. "I was brought up in the Hutt Valley, and it was my mum and dad who gave me a heart to help others. But when I was about 8 years old, our mum left. I ran away when I was 11, and lived rough for a while. One of my friends told her mum that I was staying on the streets, and she took me in. I really didn’t like anything about school as a teenager, so I left when I was 15 and got a job. I did all sorts, but I most enjoyed anything that involved working closely with people. I first heard about DCM when my sister Regina started working here. She used to volunteer me – “My sister will do it!” - usually without asking me first. I began volunteering at DCM, driving the old DCM van, picking up goods for the Foodbank Appeal, and making sure the many volunteers at the DCM Bookfair were fed well.  After a while I decided to take a 3 month sabbatical from my job because I really loved what DCM does, and wanted to be more involved. That was in 2018 - and I've been here ever since. I have done all sorts in my role as a Peer Support worker at DCM - filing, driving, cooking, working in Te Hāpai, outreach and home support. I love going into people’s homes and helping them with their basic cleaning and life skills. We used to turn up to T’s place and his whole house would be filled with bags of clothing and rubbish. You could hardly walk in to the place. I started by cleaning his kitchen. After a while, he began to look forward to us being there, and would work alongside us. Sometimes he just needed someone to talk to. With another taumai, W, we would sit down with him and his keyworker. We would just sit and listen to him. Now when he comes into DCM he wants to talk; whereas before that he would come in and wouldn’t speak to anyone. Many of our taumai have similar experiences to our peer workers; this is why peer support is a great thing. I recently completed a peer support course at DCM, and now I am working as a peer support worker with our Aro Mai Housing First team. Taone asked me whether I wanted to do peer support mahi out in the Hutt. I had moved back to the Hutt just before lock-down, so the timing was perfect. I am back in my own community and I love it. But the thing I miss most is being in Te Hāpai. Having that face-to-face contact with all our taumai, every day, is such a special privilege. I know that DCM wants to raise money to pay more Peer Support workers to work alongside taumai who are newly housed or who need support to sustain their tenancy. What would I say to anyone thinking about supporting this work, or to taumai who are thinking about applying for a Peer Support role at DCM? I think it would be the best thing that you have ever done! Taumai are more likely to gravitate to peer workers as they know that we have had the same lived experiences. I love absolutely everything about my job. My favourite moments always involve interactions with our taumai. Before we closed Te Hāpai one Christmas Eve, I stood by the door and as each of our taumai walked past, I said “Give us a hug!” And I gave everyone a hug. Some of them said to me “I smell” but I said “So what?” And some of them cried, because they had not been touched for years – no physical contact with anybody. That was a revelation to me. Another favourite moment was when M came in. I was sitting watching him and he looked really, really down. This was a long time before he got his own whare. I walked over and hugged him and hugged him, until he was ready to let go. I could see all the taumai around us watching. They’ve seen the way he has shouted abuse in the past. But they had also seen what DCM is about, what our kaupapa is. DCM will never give up on the most marginalised people, and we are all so fortunate to be part of something so special." You can read a longer version of Joanne’s story on our website. <!-- --> DCM in the news Photo by Melissa Nightingale (NZ Herald). This month the NZ Herald spoke with DCM’s Natalia Cleland about some of the successes which came out of lock-down for our taumai, including the numbers who were able to move in to emergency housing and on in to their own homes. Natalia also had an opportunity this week to speak on TV One’s Breakfast show, making the point that emergency housing is not a long-term solution, and calling for more permanent homes: "We need more social housing, we need the government to keep building...we need landlords who have rentals who can provide their house for community housing, coming to a service like ours where we can support their tenancy for as long as it takes for them to thrive...we need harm-reduction housing...we need a whole range of housing options." Check out the clip on the Breakfast Facebook page. <!-- --> 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. <!-- --> Support DCM! Nāku te rourou, nāu te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi With your basket and my basket, the people will thrive <!-- --> Copyright © 2020 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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Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)