Matching Newsitems

• • Update from DCM - Together We Can End Homelessness

    • 30 Aug 2019
    • Downtown Community Ministry
    • 96 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; } } Help us celebrate our 50th birthday This year, DCM is celebrating 50 years of working in the city of Wellington to “focus on the needs of, and to help empower, those marginalised in the city” (DCM Constitution, 1969). This month we held our 24th annual, fundraising Bookfair, which was another huge success for DCM, with large numbers of book-lovers coming to support our work to end homelessness in Wellington. Thank you for your support of this important event - we look forward to sharing our final tally with you soon. Next month we look forward to a special photographic exhibition focussing on the many individuals and groups within our city who are very much part of our work. The exhibition will feature 50 different images, each reflecting the contribution of one kaitautoko (supporter) group, business or individual. A number of different Wellington photographers will contribute these images, and the celebration will again be a coming together of the people of Wellington to acknowledge and reconfirm our collective commitment to ending homelessness in our city. Make a note in your diaries – plan to head down to Photospace to see the beautiful images and learn more about the amazing people in your community who are part of this vision. DCM 50th Birthday Photo Exhibition 14-28 September 2019 Mon-Sat 10am-4pm Photospace Gallery 1st floor, 37 Courtenay Place Wellington <!-- --> DCM’s Dental Service gives “lives back” This month we share the story of one of DCM's amazing supporters, our dental assistant Emily Kremmer. Emily has a full-time job and is in full-time study, but she still finds time to volunteer down at DCM, where she helps take away pain and rebuild lives. Thursday is Emily Kremmer’s “free day” – at least it’s the day she’s not at her job with Wellington Periodontics or studying for her degree in public relations and communications. But this 22-year-old dental assistant spends most of her free day in the dental treatment room at DCM. For 50 years DCM has been supporting Wellington’s most marginalised, with a focus on ending homelessness in the capital. In the first instance that’s about getting people without permanent housing into a home, then DCM supports them to stay there, to learn to manage their money and look after their new whare. But it’s also very much about addressing their physical and mental health issues, including their dental health. That’s why in March 2016, in partnership with the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Dental Association, DCM began operating a fully equipped dental treatment room, staffed by dental professionals. While the dentists volunteer their time, the dental assistants may be paid or choose to volunteer. Emily – who began with a monthly shift in August 2018 but lately has been coming every week – says she’s happy to take no payment for her hours. “I really enjoy it, and it keeps me busy. I think I’d waste my day off. I work better with something to structure my day around,” she says. The people DCM works with – who they call ‘taumai’, which means ‘to settle’ – usually have little opportunity to look after their teeth and gums, so nearly all who come into DCM’s dental service are in pain. “I love taking that pain away. As soon as you numb them up, you just see them relax,” says Emily. “And when you’re taken out that painful tooth or cleaned up their gums, they’re so grateful. One patient we had in the other day said, ‘I feel like a new man. You’ve given me back my life. I feel fantastic’, so it’s really great to feel you’re making a difference. “They often ask if we’re paid, and when we say, ‘No, we’re just here to help you,’ they’re amazed. They feel like someone cares about them and values them.” Much of the work they do, Emily says, is extractions and perio-work, with the odd filling, rather than root canals and crowns. “In general dentistry, you try to keep the real tooth as much as possible but here you need to be more realistic. There’s no point in doing a root canal if the patient can’t afford the crown. A lot of our patients here don’t have access to toothbrushes and toothpaste – although we offer them these things when they leave – so we help them in a way that’s best for them. There’s a lot of calculus build-up to scrape off, which is really satisfying!” Aside from that, the Dental Service at DCM runs just like an ordinary dental clinic, she says. Emily works from 8:30am until 1:30 on days that suit her, and is very satisfied with the clinic. “Everything runs well here. It’s super well-labelled, so it’s quick and easy to find things. There’s a new steri-room and a surgery with everything we need – ultrasonic scalers, x-ray machines, very new sterilizer and bar code scanner to keep track of sterile items and equipment. “The people here at DCM are also great. So smiley and welcoming. You never feel like you’re walking into someone else’s workplace. They treat us in the Dental Service like we’re one of the family. We take part in the daily waiata and karakia that begins each day, and they even give us lunch!” While Emily works at DCM every week, most of the dentists she assists volunteer less frequently, so she values that she works alongside lots of different people. “I have learnt a lot and I’ve become really adaptable because I need to be able to work with anyone and deal with any situation. Because I meet so many dentists, I feel strongly like I’m part of the Wellington dentist community. I don’t have plans to move onto being a hygienist or dentist but if you’re a DA who has ambitions to become a dentist, there’s a real benefit to working here.” What Emily does plan to do is get involved in dental health promotion or work for a not-for-profit organisation when she finishes her communications and marketing degree. “But I hope I’ll still be able do this because I really, really enjoy it.” An obvious thought might be, isn’t it a bit smelly working with people who live in less than ideal conditions? “Sometimes, a bit,” she answers. “But you get smelly people in private practice too. And their stories are so interesting. While some are reserved and want to get out the door as soon as they leave the chair, some are really chatty and you learn all sorts of things about them. You meet so many people you’d never meet in your normal life.” And a really good thing – they don’t complain. “In private dentistry people often complain a lot about any discomfort, but these people don’t. I think they’re used to a level of discomfort and they’ve all been living with pain for such a long time that their tolerance and resilience is high. And again, they’re just so grateful for your help so they sit in the chair and let you do your job. I haven’t heard a complaint from anyone since I’ve been here.” Emily says it’s definitely changed the way she sees people sleeping or begging on the street. “Especially if I see them drinking. One patient said to me, ‘I’ve been drinking to manage the pain’. Now if I see someone drinking, I think it may be because they’ve got a sore mouth, or toothache, or gum disease that’s not manageable.” In all, Emily Kremmer highly recommends other dentists and dental assistants offer their time at DCM’s Dental Service. “It’s very easy to work here. You give whatever time you have, whenever your want – once a month, or even less if that’s all you can do. You’re given a full orientation and lots of support while you work here.  “What we do at the Dental Service is humbling and rewarding. And – at the heart of it – we do really good dentistry.” <!-- --> Please help us get the message out there! Forward this email on to everyone you can think of who may be interested in books, how to respond to homelessness, photography and just generally people who are passionate about Wellington. Because together we CAN end homelessness in our city. <!-- --> 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.
    • Accepted from DCM alerts archive 67 months ago by feedreader
    • Tagged as:
    • photographers
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    • books
    • wellington
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    • housing
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• • 

    Plimmerton Farm: getting greenfields right

    • 28 Jun 2020
    • Talk Wellington
    • If we’re hellbent on doing more residential development in greenfields, what does “decent” look like in Plimmerton, hilly land near an existing suburb – like most of our region’s greenfields? This post is basically a guide for anyone who cares about Plimmerton, good urban development, or healthy wetlands, streams and coast, but is time-poor and can’t face going through the truckloads of documents they’ve stuck up without any specific meta-guidance (some FAQ are here). Hopefully this will help you pop in a submission! PCC’s “information” pages they suggest you use for submitting. Every one of these is a large PDF document, 90% written in technical language… aargh! The background: what where and how For those who don’t know, Plimmerton Farm’s a big proposed subdivision of hilly farmland draining into the significant Taupō Wetland and to Plimmerton Beach, just over the train line and highway from Plimmerton village (original Ngāti Toa name: Taupō). It’s going through a Streamlined Planning Process, a pre-COVID government scheme for accelerating development. The key step is the requisite change of the land’s zoning in the Porirua District Plan (“rural” zone to “residential” and other “urban” zones) that sets out what kind of stuff can then be built, where. It’s mostly streamlined because there’s just one shot for the public to have input on the plan change. One shot. Why submit? I was born and raised in Plimmerton, live here now, and intend to for the rest of my days. I’d love to see it grow, well. I would love Plimmerton to get more wallets, more hearts and minds, more faces (more diverse ones too!). But not with more traffic, and pointless damage to our environment. Right now, the proposal has some serious flaws which need sorting. I say Sorting because the changes won’t make it crazy innovative, just good enough for a development in the spot it is, being kicked off in 2020. Time matters too: there’a a bunch of good things happening imminently (and some bad Porirua trends that need to be reversed). I cover these in Get it right, below. It’s worth submitting because given the situation, a 1990s-grade development just won’t cut it. So what about Plimmerton Farm needs to change? It boils down to two themes: dial down the driveability and dial up the liveabilitymake Local the logical and easy choice for daily needs I’ll outline what needs to change in each. NOTE: There’s a third – don’t stuff the wetlands and streams. This is really important as Taupō Wetland is regionally significant, and all our streams and harbours have suffered from frankly shameful mismanagement of sediment from earthworks-heavy subdivisions like Aotea and Duck Creek, and from the earthworks-a-rama of Transmission Gully. Friends of Taupo Swamp have an excellent submission guide for you – add in some of their suggested bits to your submission. I: Dial down the driveability, dial up the liveability There aren’t many truly black-and-white things in life, but there’s one for towns: If a street is nice to drive in, it’ll be a crappy place to do anything else in (walk / eat / hang out / have a conversation / play / scoot or cycle / shop / have a pint). If it’s nice to do anything else in, it’ll be a crappy place to drive in. Mostly this is because of the nature of the automobile: big solid things that smash into our soft bodies if someone makes a mistake (75% odds of death if that’s at 50km/hour, 10% odds of death if at 30km/hour) big objects that need lots of space for manoeuvering and especially parking – which offstreet can be crazy expensive and push up the cost of a home, and onstreet hoover up valuable public space. big solid things driven by us real humans (for a while at least) who respond to the environment but also get distracted, and generally aren’t good at wielding these big solid things safely. The transport setup proposed for Plimmerton Farm makes for a much too driveable and poorly liveable place. 1. Narrow down all the roads. The current proposal’s roading setup has roads and streets that are too big, and there’s too much of them. Right sized roads for a liveable community The cross-sections for the roads include on-street parking and really wide lane widths. This is really gobsmacking for a consortium that talked a big talk about good practice. For all the reasons that Low Traffic Neighbourhoods are good, this is bad. (And it’s especially nuts when you realise that the excessively wide “arterial” roads (11 metres!) will need earthworked platforms built for them where they’re drawn running up the sharp ridges and across the tops of gullies. Expensive, damaging for the environment, and … what were they thinking?) So recommended changes: NARROW DOWN THE ROADS. Seriously. Design all the living-area streets and roads, and the centre, to be self-explaining for an operating traffic speed of 30km or less – that’s the speed where mistakes are rarely fatal. What does that look like? The designers will know and if they don’t they should be fired. Narrower crossing distances; chicanes (great way to incorporate green infrastructure and trees and seating!); narrowed sight-lines (trees! sculpture!) so no-one driving feels inclined to zoom. Reduced trafficked lanes (rori iti on the larger roads!), with properly wide and friendly footpaths. Threshold treatments, humps, modal filters, all the things we know very well are the natural ways to slow us down when driving, and make streets nicer for people. The beauty of all this “restriction” on driving is how much it frees us up for making everything else appealing. Streets become hospitable for kids to walk, scoot, bike to school safely, using the road not the footpath. Older people and those with impairments can walk and wheelchair safely. Teens coming home from town of an evening can scoot or bike home, safely. Popping down to the shops or for a coffee or to the train becomes a pleasure to do on foot, or on a scooter or bike. And you’re moving in a legitimate way – seeing and being seen, not stuck off in the bush on a “recreational” track like what they’ve described. The ordinary streets and roads are walkable, bikeable, scootable, mobility-scootable, and perfectly driveable, equally safe and useable in all weathers and anytime of day or night. Used to be a big, fast road. Now, kids bike to school and old people can chill out on it. (Mark Kerrison) (And in case you’re worried about firetrucks / rubbish trucks / buses, recall that on even Wellington City’s far more winding, narrower hilly streets everyone gets their rubbish collected and fires fought just fine. On public transport, smaller buses, like those that community transport operators use, are the way of the future for less densely-populated areas like this). Don’t build the through and loop roads. You don’t need signs like this when the only people who bother to drive in are those who live there, or who are visiting friends, because you just have to drive out again the way you came. When it’s the place you live, you’re invested in not being a dick far more than if you’re just out for a drive – or worse, out for a bit of a boyrace hoon on a massive loop route through a whole place. So just don’t build those big connector roads that enable people to drive easily from one residential area to the next, especially the ones up in the hilltops (section C) that just say “come for a hoon!” Instead, connect the living spaces heavily with bikeable, walkable, scootable, disability-friendly streets and lanes, and as much as possible, only one way in and out for cars from each living area. II: Make local logical and easy Plimmerton is a true village, with a great little centre (including a train station!) but Plimmerton Farm is ultimately a damn big area. The way to go is to enable people to get the basics of life – like school, groceries, a coffee – with a little local trip on foot, bike or scooter – it’s more of a bother to get in the car. Right now though, it needs two changes: 1. Provide for a second centre “Bumping into” spaces are known to be crucial to a feeling of neighbourhood, and in the (initial) absence of third places (worship places, community hall, sports club, cafe/pub, a supermarket is a vital social centre. Yet the north end of Plimmerton Farm is currently a deadzone for anything except residential. What things will probably look like under current layout. Like in Edwards Scissorhands without the interest of a castle. There’s no provision for a place to do your household groceries, so people will drive to Mana New World – more car trips – and less opportunity to bump into people who live nearby. (There’ll be no school in Plimmerton Farm for a while, because Ministry of Education isn’t allowed by the Education Act to build a school somewhere until there’s a certain population density of kids to fill it. A shitty Catch-22 for developments which is hopefully going to be fixed … sometime. Just another reason to make walking, biking and scooting really kid-friendly, as extra dropoff traffic for kids going to St Theresa’s, Plimmerton School, Paremata and Pukerua Bay schools will be a nightmare.) So they should provide for an additional centre in the north, including a groceries place of some kind. 2. Intensify within walking distance of Plimmerton proper. We should intensify properly, with lots of medium and even some high density (6 storeys of nicely laid-out density done well!) in the area that’s within a 5-minute walk of Plimmerton Village. The more people can live and work with access to all its many amenities, and its rail station (10 min to Porirua, 30 min to Wellington), the better. But there’s not enough density provided for there. Plimmerton Railway station: buzzing in 1916 and has only got bigger. (Photo: Pātaka Porirua Museum) So they should add another zone – E – of higher density in that 5-minute walking catchment of Plimmerton Village. What could it look like? A good example is 3333 Main, Vancouver . Submission tips On the site they ask you to fill in a Word or PDF form, saying which specific bit of the gazillion proposals you are talking about and the specific changes you want. This is a BS way to treat the vast majority of people submitting: normal non-professionals, just regular people who care about good development and liveable places. So just don’t worry about that. In those question 6 column boxes just put “Transport” and “Layout”. It’s the professional planners’ job to figure out specifically how to change a planning document. Just be specific enough that they know what you want to see. The text above is worth copying and pasting – it’ll be enough. And don’t forget the Friends of Taupo Swamp and Catchment advice is essential – definitely go read and use. That’s all you really need – just go submit! But if you’re keen to know more reasons why they should be doing this better, here’s some… Get it right, now Once this plan change is through, traditional developers like Gillies like to whack in all the infrastructure – hello, massive earthworks. And yet the place will take decades to fill with actual people – those hearts and minds and wallets. (Note even before COVID, Porirua’s growth rate was 0.1% per year. Yep, one tenth of one percent.) And extra pressure’s on to do this better because all these things are features of the next one to three years: the One Network Road Classification (sets the design specs for roads of different types) is being updated right now to be more people-friendly in the specs for roads in residential and centre areas, so designs like Plimmerton Farm’s will soon be Officially Bad Practice Sales and riding of e-bikes and e-scooters are going through the roof, continuing through and beyond COVID – this shows no signs of slowing, and prices are dropping. E-power flattens the hills of Plimmerton Farm and makes wheely active travel a breeze for the middle-class people who’ll be living here, if the streets and roads are hospitablePlimmerton Railway Station (on the most popular Wellington train line) is being upgraded to be a terminus station – i.e. better servicesThe Wellington Regional Growth Framework is setting a bunch of directions for councils on how to grow well, including well-known but often well-ignored issues like intensifying around public transport hubs Councils will soon be required to do to a bunch of a bunch of international good practice including get rid of many minimum parking requirements (in the news lately), and to upzone (enable intensification) of landuse in the walking catchment of public transport hubs. (5 min walk = approx 400 metres, 10 min = 800m).Bad trends we need to stop: Porirua’s really high car-dependency (we own cars a lot and drive a lot) is continuing, due to car-dependent urban form [PDF]– despite nice words in council’s strategic intentions.People living outside Wellington City are mostly to blame for our region’s 14% increase in emissions from transport in just 10 years. OK go submit now – and share with anyone who you think might care!
    • Accepted from Talk Wellington posts 65 months ago by feedreader
    • Tagged as:
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    Transmission Gully Motorway, Kenepuru, Porirua, Porirua City, Wellington, 5022, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
  
  
• • 

    Circa 2015 Season - jam-packed with theatre for all audiences!

    • 8 Dec 2014
    • Circa Theatre
    • Red Riding Hood, the PantomimeBy Roger HallSongs by Paul Jenden and Michael Nicholas WilliamsDirected by Susan Wilson2-10 JanuaryCirca One What a big smile you’ll have …Don’t miss Circa’s fabulous Christmas panto! And this year Red Riding Hood is back with one of the great traditional stories – innocent Red Riding Hood, her poor, short sighted grandmother, and of course the handsome woodcutter and that villain of all villains, the Wolf!There’s lots of laughter, hilarious jokes and musical goodies in Red’s basket as she sets off on her journey to entertain young and old with this marvellous magical treat.“A great way to introduce kids to the magic of theatre, and Red Riding Hood is easily the ideal Christmas outing for the holdiays … a treat” – Salient“Roger Hall’s helter-skelter Red Riding Hood… is wonderfully exuberant seasonal fun” – The Dominion Post The Kitchen at the End of the WorldBy William ConnorDirected by Steffen Kreft16-25 JanuaryCirca Two “Something is coming. I don’t know what it is. And I don’t know if I should fight it or welcome it.” One snowy evening, an empty 83-room hotel on the edge of the Vastness receives a thin guest who has walked all the way from the City. Penniless, he is smuggled into the hotel kitchen where a kind cook works near an extraordinary thyme plant. He says that creativity is dying. Described as “intensely beautiful”, “provocative and moving”, The Kitchen at the End of the World is the story of marionettes who know they are limited by the extent of their strings – even kissing can tangle them – but they crave what lies beyond their reach. A story about home, the unknown, and the courage to face everything in between. The show captivated audiences at its sell-out debut season during the Greytown Festival 2012and is a powerful reminder that puppetry is not just a children's art form. SeedBy Elisabeth EastherDirected by Kerryn Palmer17 January – 14 FebruaryCirca One SEX & DRUGS, WITHOUT THE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL IVF isn’t foolproof and IUDs aren’t failsafe. iPhones come with ovulation apps and ‘choosing from the menu’ means selecting your sperm. Seed follows four women as they try to get pregnant, stay pregnant or become un-pregnant - the dilemmas of modern reproduction. Elisabeth Easther’s Seed is winner of the 2014 Adam New Zealand Play Award, which recognises and celebrates the best in new writing for the theatre. It’s a multi-narrative play about the mysterious business of fertility, with all of its challenges, heartaches and hormones. Seed is a drama that’ll have you laughing ‘til the tears are running down your face, and it’s a comedy that’ll make you cry. “Highly entertaining, funny and sophisticated” - Adam Play Award Judges “[A] sophisticated, witty and very contemporary meditation on the timeless processes of procreation.” - NZ Herald STARRING: Tess Jamieson-Karaha, Jamie McCaskill, Emily Regtien, Holly Shanahan and Amy Tarleton Warning: Adult themes and strong language. Demolition of the CenturyBased on the novel by Duncan SarkiesCreated by Duncan Sarkies and Sean O’Brien31 January – 21 FebruaryCirca Two Welcome to the world of Tom Spotswood, an insurance investigator who has lost his socks, his suitcase, his ex-wife and his son, Frank. Fresh from performances in the New Zealand Festival, Auckland Writers Festival, Tauranga Arts Festival and Nelson Arts Festival, Demolition of the Century sees author/performer Duncan Sarkies (Two Little Boys/Scarfies/Flight of the Conchords) stage a humorous and sometimes heartbreaking look at families, memories and the fragility of the human mind. He is accompanied by musician Joe Blossom, who plays a soundtrack that is both haunting and invigorating. “A series of brilliant vignettes, delivered in an inspired cabaret-style reading by the multi-talented Sarkies, and outstanding musician Joe Blossom… Blossom not only creates fluid and essential musical transitions, but his beautiful vocals, self-accompanied on piano and guitar, imbue this work with a powerful pathos that allow glimpses of the inner landscape of these characters. Demolitionis a fast-paced, darkly captivating cabaret-comedy, which leaves us fully entertained and tantalizingly close to solving a puzzle.” –Bay of Plenty Times Wake Up TomorrowPresented by Everybody Cool Lives HereIn association with ActiveDirected by Isobel MacKinnon21-28 FebruaryCirca One Welcome aboard Active Airlines! Join the eccentric passengers during this compelling, surreal and funny flight. Made under the guidance of Wellington theatre makers in collaboration with Active, a service for youth with an intellectual impairment, Wake Up Tomorrow was created from the minds of these incredible young people. Audiences will be transported from the mundane moments on a long haul flight to bizarre and hilarious scenarios.  Please fasten your seat belts, make sure you are in the upright position and enjoy the journey. We may or may not arrive at the expected destination. “In a work of this kind there is always a delicate balance to be held between presenting a polished product at the same time as allowing for a playful improvised quality to emerge that allows the actors to perform to their strengths. This was very evident in the final few scenes …” – Madeline McNamara Yep, Still Got It!By Jane Keller and Sandy BrewerDirected by Alan PalmerMusical Director Michael Nicholas Williams28 February – 21 MarchCirca Two YOUTH IS A GIFT OF NATURE, BUT AGE IS A WORK OF ART – Stanislaw Jerzy Lec Following the huge success of BOOMERS BEHAVING BADLY, Jane Keller returns with another hilarious show. A little older, a little wiser, a lot sassier, and even more confused. Whatever happened to the days when a cloud was a cloud, when face time was over a G&T, and we punctuated our sentences with full stops - not smiley faces? From senior sex and those pesky STDs to shopping sprees and colonoscopies, Jane shares stories of abject embarrassment, medical (mis)adventures, empowerment, and acceptance. In YEP, STILL GOT IT!  she embraces the power of an older woman with no FOMO. Together with the brilliant Michael Nicholas Williams on the piano Jane brings a brand-new show to Circa Two combining her special style of storytelling with her virtuoso Broadway voice. Capital E Kids FestivalCirca One CaterpillarsBy Kallo Collective Directed by Thomas MoncktonProduced by Show Pony7 March 10 am & 11.30am A tale of two puppeteers’ failed attempts at beautification. In the magical world of flitting butterflies, jumping eggs and giant swaying flowers, two lycra-clad puppeteers try their hardest to remain unseen and at service to their puppets: two enormous plump caterpillars. Caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, with nothing but their wits to cover up their escalating blunders, two appealingly hopeless clown puppeteers bring upbeat absurdity, slapstick silliness, and a good dose of reality to their hilarious and unpredictable antics. Beards! Beards! Beards!By Trick of the Light TheatreDirected by Hannah SmithWritten by Ralph McCubbin HowellProduced by Show Pony21 March 10am & 1pm Beatrix didn’t want a tiara. Beatrix wanted a BEARD! From Charles Darwin to Abraham Lincoln, Karl Marx to Mr Twit, it is said the secret to power and greatness is all in the size and shape of the beard. This is a tale of one young girl’s increasingly inventive efforts to grow the world’s most magnificent beard. Join a madcap and hilarious musical romp of physical comedy and clowning, as our plucky young heroine shakes up social rules and attempts to answer the questions that have puzzled mankind since the dawn of the beard. Suitable for  children 5+. The PianistBy Circo Aereo (Fin) and Thomas Monckton (NZ)In conjunction with Show Pony (NZ)Directed by Sanna Silvennoinen and Thomas Monckton7-22 MarchCirca One Direct from Edinburgh Fringe and the London Mime Festival, last year’s hit returns to Circa! “It would be no exaggeration to declare Thomas Monckton nothing short of a genius.” – Broadway Baby (UK) “I doubt very much that you’ll see, in fact I am prepared to bet on it, a funnier show this year…miss him at your peril”  – The Dominion Post (NZ) Fresh from a five-star reviewed season at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and a sell-out season at Circa Two last year, award-winning performer Thomas Monckton returns with his smash hit The Pianist, this time at Circa One! The Pianist is a solo comic contemporary circus piece by Thomas Monckton (NZ) and Circo Aereo (Finland). The show is centered on, in, under, and around the magnificent grand piano. Accompanying this elegant apparatus is the poised pianist himself. Only he is so focused on impressing everyone that before he realises it, his show has transformed from the highbrow concert he hoped for, into a spectacularly amusing catastrophe. Suitable for all ages. The Mystery of Edwin DroodA musical by Rupert HolmesDirected by Lyndee-Jane Rutherford28 March – 25 AprilCirca One Who the Dickens did the deed? You decide! A non-stop ride of mystery, murder, and musical delight! Based on Charles Dickens’ final, unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood is filled with clues, red herrings, villainy, and debauchery. Everyone on stage is a suspect – and it's up to you to decide how this mystery ends!Hot off Broadway, this Tony Award-winning theatrical genius is led by director Lyndee-Jane Rutherford (Midsummer (a play with songs)), who reunites with the artistic team that brought Grease and Mamma Mia to the Wellington stage. The cast includes beloved actor of stage, screen and radio, Lloyd Scott, and internationally renowned soprano, Barbara Graham (Christine, Phantom of the Opera). The Mystery of Edwin Drood boasts spectacular big dance numbers, rousing showtunes, stunning theatrics, magic, and illusions!  Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Score“One of the most inventive, inspired and rousing musicals ever devised.”—AM New York“Infectious fun!”—Time Out New York “Bawdy fun!”—Associated Press “Sheer fun!”—The Wall Street Journal Two MortalsDirected by Geoff PinfieldPerformed by Rachael Dyson-McGregor & Mike McEvoyComposed by Beatrice Lewis1-18 AprilCirca Two 'A powerful theatrical experience suffused with humour, beauty and emotional intelligence' – The Melbourne AgeTwo Mortals is a delicate, poetic and humorous exploration of life, death and the moment in between. Composed word-for-word from interviews with people who live and work at the ends of life – morticians, cryogenicists, palliative care workers and ministers – Two Mortals weaves these true stories and experiences into a richly theatrical exploration of mortality. This uplifting work about one of our society's most taboo subjects was directed by Chapman Tripp Director of the Year Geoff Pinfield. Created and performed by Rachael Dyson-MacGregor and Mike McEvoy, Two Mortals sold out two critically-acclaimed seasons at Melbourne's La Mama Theatre. Improv for KidsBy The Improvisors7-18 AprilCirca Two Kids love theatre that’s interactive. So do the Improvisors. Kids (and their grown-ups) loved the 2014 season of Improv For Kids, so we’re bringing it back. It’s a great opportunity to introduce your kids to the world of live theatre. We may not have millions of dollars worth of computer-generated effects, but we do listen to kids and we make their ideas central to what happens on stage. In Improv For Kids, imagination is the best special effect of them all! Don JuanBased on Don Juan by MoliereCreated by A Slightly Isolated DogDirected by Leo Gene Peters25 April – 23 MayCirca Two World Premiere A sexy, fierce, raucous celebration.  Don Juan explodes with the energy of a music gig or a club.  It’s a cabaret.  It’s chaos.  It’s a furious adrenalized romp through the games of attraction and sexuality.  It’s the BEST… PARTY… EVER.  Five mad performers use a variety of theatrical forms and styles to bring an adaptation of Moliere’s classic play to life.  Loaded with pop songs and flirting, this imaginative work will continually intrigue, delight and surprise. While the bar keeps serving drinks.  All night long.   Created by A Slightly Isolated Dog, one of Wellington’s most innovative and exciting companies.  Critically acclaimed and award winning shows include:  Death and the Dreamlife of Elephants (2009, 2011), Perfectly Wasted (2012 - in partnership with Long Cloud Youth Theatre) and Settling (2007). A Servant to Two MastersBy Carlo GoldoniA new adaptation by Lee HallDirected by Ross Jolly2-30 MayCirca One NZ Premiere Love, passion and pandemonium Goldoni’s much-loved comic classic is a masterpiece starring a wily servant whose cheeky, inventive trickery gets the best of his masters, in a merry mix-up of mayhem and mistaken identity. Truffaldino, the scheming and perpetually hungry servant, concocts a zany scheme to double his wages (and his meals) by simultaneously serving two masters – the lovelorn Beatrice (disguised as a man) and her lost lover Florindo. Hilarity abounds In this sharp, new, rapid-fire adaptation by award winning dramatist Lee Hall (The Pitmen Painters, Billy Elliot).   A delicious, madcap Italian comedy of lovers, disguises, tricks, traps, mishaps and meatballs! “A sparkling, wonder filled new version by Lee Hall... An evening to cherish” – Daily Mail “A hugely enjoyable night out" – Covent Garden Life TheatresportsBy The Improvisors3 May – 14 JuneCirca Two Part of NZ International Comedy Festival The Improvisors are back at Circa with another season of this very popular show. Each night two teams of Improvisors take suggestions from the audience and spin them into short scenes, songs, poems or whatever else takes their fancy. Each show is completely different – what does stay the same is that Theatresportsis always a great night’s entertainment for the whole family. We don’t know what ideas you are going to throw at us – we do know that our kind of improv magic has been keeping audiences laughing over many years. Theatresports – putting the “make up” on stage. Second AfterlifeBy Ralph McCubbin HowellDirected by Kerryn Palmer29 May – 13 JuneCirca Two Return Season of the 2014 Young and Hungry sensation!Dan was an internet junkie – now he’s calling it quits. But in order to forge a new profile, he must face up to his online history and it’s not going down without a fight.When Dan finds himself sucked into the Second Afterlife – a dark underworld of the internet, a very real and dangerous landscape of broken memes, deleted pages, and the ghosts of profiles past. Second Afterlife is a dark comedy about life (and death) in the digital age. Inspired by Dante's Inferno, and in the tradition of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, it is a twisted allegory for the Facebook generation – a poetic, ass-kicking romp to the darkest corners of the web. “Ralph McCubbin Howell cements his status as one of NZ's best young playwrights with Second Afterlife and director Kerryn Palmer, her designers and crew, and her exemplary cast of six do him proud.” - TheatreviewBy arrangement with Playmarket.Edge/Turning PageBroadway Star, ANGELICA PAGE“An actress of the highest possible voltage” – Wall Street JournalPerforming two shows, alternate nights, two weeks only6-20 JuneCirca One EDGE written by PAUL ALEXANDER Set in 1963 on the day of Sylvia Plath’s death, Edge presents the self-told story of the troubled poet and author of The Bell Jar, The Colossus, Ariel and the Pulitzer-Prize winning Collected Poems. “… a resurrected Sylvia Plath… the showcase of a lifetime” NEW YORK TIMESRETURNING TO OUR STAGE 10 YEARS AFTER ITS SENSATIONAL 2005 CIRCA SEASON TURNING PAGE written by ANGELICA PAGEGeraldine Page’s sparkling career earned her a record-breaking eight Academy Award nominations, an Oscar for Best Actress in 1986, and made her one of the most influential American artists of the 20th century. Turning Page is the triumphant and heartbreaking true story of one of the most celebrated actresses of all time, written and performed by the person who knew her best: her own daughter. “A privilege” Los Angeles Times Matariki Development FestivalPresented by Tawata Productions22 June – 4 JulyCirca TwoAn international indigenous playwrights’ festival boasting an enviable whakapapa of the very best of contemporary Maori & Pasifika theatre.  MDF 2015 features new writing by Natano Keni, James Nokise and Pikihuia Haenga. the beautiful onesWritten and Directed by Hone KoukeProduced by Tawata ProductionsMovement by Dolina Wehipeihana & Hone KoukaDesign by K*Saba, Tama Waipara, Johnson Witehira, Wai Mihinui, Jaimee Warda, Sopheak Seng, Laurie Dean 27 June – 11 JulyCirca One World Premiere A hyperreal digital love story.  the beautiful ones is a story of young love.  A promise Hana made to Ihia – a promise to return.  Will she return?  Will love triumph over temptation?  the beautiful ones bursts from the late night sheen of a city club.  Beautiful bodies & vital vocals.  Defiant dance moves and the meaning of love.  the beautiful ones features a dance floor for the audience to share the vibe.  From the company that brought you I, George Nepia, Sunset Road and TŪ. Warning: Contains Big Beats & Dance Music. The Ugly OneWritten by Marius von Mayenburg; translated by Maja ZadaDirected by Giles Burton11 July – 8 AugustCirca Two A scalpel sharp, absurd comic fantasy about beauty. Lette thinks he is normal, but when he discovers that he is, in fact, unbelievably ugly he turns to a plastic surgeon for help. Suddenly he is the most beautiful man in the world. Fame and riches follow; women want to sleep with him and men want to look like him. And with surgery they can look like him. Exactly like him. Received around the world to great acclaim, The Ugly One now receives its NZ premiere. With writer von Mayenburg’s star very much in the ascendant, this show is a must see.   "A stripped bare satire on the nature of beauty. If you are interested in theatrical story-telling see this show." – The Times (UK) “Savage social satire … A small but perfectly formed play” – The Guardian (UK) “The concept is simple but the philosophical implications are profound: What if money could buy the perfect face? It’s The Elephant Manmeets The Matrix” – Post City (Toronto) The Hound of the BaskervillesBy Arthur Conan DoyleAdapted for the stage by Clive FrancisDirected by Ross Jolly25 July – 29 AugustCirca One Sherlock Holmes vs the Powers of Evil A bloodcurdling howl is heard across a cold, moonlit moor; the horrifying, spectral hound has claimed another victim … When Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead on his remote estate, in eerie, seemingly supernatural circumstances, Sherlock Holmes, the legendary, world-famous detective and his assistant, the ever-reliable Dr Watson are called upon to unravel the extraordinary mystery of The Hound of the Baskervilles. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous and most popular story, in an exhilarating adaptation by Clive Francis (Our Man in Havana), sees four actors playing all the parts in this gripping, classic tale of terror. A thrilling, ripping good night of fun, drama and suspense! “A cracking good yarn … Excellent ... Highly enjoyable." - Daily Telegraph "Chillingly atmospheric... this fun show will really thrill. " - The Observer Downton AdlibBy The Improvisors2 August – 27 SeptemberCirca Two Quality costume drama – only funnier. An aristocratic English family and their servants face the challenges of life in the early twentieth century. A cast of Wellington’s top improv comedians face the challenge of making up a brand new episode every night. We supply the characters, you supply the key plot ingredients and the result is costume drama as you’ve never seen it before. Love, laughter, passion and a wide range of hats! The Travelling SquirrelBy Robert LordDirected by Susan Wilson5 September – 3 OctoberCirca One NZ Premiere “We that live to please must please to live” – Dr Samuel Johnson From Robert Lord, the author of the award-winning and much loved Joyful & Triumphant, comes The Travelling Squirrel, a romp through the fickle nature of the entertainment industry. Protagonist Bart compares his struggles as a writer to those of Roger the squirrel, a misunderstood painter. Hilarious and packed with larger-than-life characters, this play is a testament to Lord’s ability to write brilliant comedy.  A satire tempered with deep affection, The Travelling Squirrel depicts a dangerous world in which fame and fortune are always temptingly just around the corner “This is surely one of Lord’s funniest plays, just as it is one of the most moving”   – Philip Mann “For two decades, Robert Lord’s plays astonished and entertained theatre audiences with their sharp satire and flamboyant farce.”  - David O’Donnell The BookbinderWritten by Ralph McCubbin HowellDirected by Hannah SmithPresented by Trick of the Light Theatre25 September – 10 OctoberCirca TwoThey say you can get lost in a good book. But it's worse to get lost in a bad one... From award-winning company Trick of the Light Theatre (The Road That Wasn’t There) comes a story of mystery, magic and mayhem. The Bookbinder weaves shadowplay, paper art, puppetry, and music into an original dark fairytale in the vein of Coraline and Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell. An inventive one-man performance for curious children and adventurous adults... suitable for children 8+. Best Theatre and Best in the Fringe - NZ Fringe 2014 International Excellence Award - Sydney Fringe 2014 "Spell-binding storytelling at its purest and best..." - Theatreview"Absorbing and imaginative… a small gem of theatre" - The Dominion Post "Tuned to perfection... Bookworms of all stripes and ages will adore it."- The Age, Melbourne For more information visit www.trickofthelight.co.nz GiftedBy Patrick EvansBased on the novel of the same nameDirected by Conrad Newport10-31 OctoberCirca One It is 1955 and beyond the famous hedge something magic is about to happen. In his beloved garden the “Father of the Nations Fiction” Frank Sargeson is waiting for his old mate Harry to turn up. Instead, he encounters a young woman fresh from a mental institution. Her name is Janet Frame. Their world is about to change forever. From the director of Rita and Douglas comes this very funny and profoundly moving story. Touring the Arts Festivals in 2013 to incredible reviews and widespread acclaim it’s now Wellington’s chance to experience this celebrated New Zealand production. “Like an exquisite work of art, the play Gifted is honed to near perfection … go and see this gorgeous production.” – Taranaki “Superb performances by all … it is thrilling … it makes for astonishingly joyful, mischievous theatre.” – Dunedin “Sheer quality” – Christchurch Adventures in PianolandWritten and performed by JAN PRESTONDirected by GAYLENE PRESTON15-17 OctoberCirca Two How I learned to stop worrying and love the piano The irrepressible Jan Preston comes clean on her longstanding and sometimes bumpy road to piano stardom. Jan will spin yarns from dives in Soho to the concert halls of Europe, to stealing a piano in broad daylight from the 1860s Bar in Lambton Quay. She will accompany herself, of course, on Circa Theatres' lovingly cared for piano.  You will hear Chopsticks as you have never heard it, with Jan's original songs and compositions providing perfect counterpoint to her story. AcheBy Pip HallDirected by Lyndee-Jane Rutherford24 October – 21 NovemberCirca Two Fate, chance and rooftop romance.  Ache is a fateful comedy about two thirty-somethings trying to find their way through modern love, materialism and the Wellington dating-drought. At a time when we are promised happiness with the swipe of a card or the swig of a bottle, true joy and connection seems almost impossible. At crossroads and rooftop gardens, fate decides to surprise them. At last, connection, chemistry, charisma. He’s perfect, she’s gorgeous. Only timing’s not as kind – he’s taken. Is it just not meant to be or will she push timing aside and take fate into her own hands?   Achingly-funny and heart-breakingly sad, Ache is a modern story of love, timing and seizing the day.Don’t miss this WELLINGTON PREMIERE, finally on our stage after its SOLD-OUT season at Christchurch’s Court Theatre. All Our SonsBy Witi IhimaeraPresented by Taki Rua5-14 NovemberCirca One World Premiere Courage and loyalty is tested in this new play by Witi Ihimaera “Once they fought each other, now shoulder to shoulder they fight together” Two generations go to war while a third fights a battle to keep her family at home. Waru Mataira and his two sons Tai and Rangi volunteer to represent the Maori iwi of Mataira Mountain in the New Zealand Native Contingent to Gallipoli. Under the guidance of their Pakeha leader Alec Campbell, they join the battle on the western front as part of the newly titled Pioneer Battalion where their courage is tested and so too are their loyalties. Taki Rua Productions presents the World Premiere of All Our Sons, a ground-breaking play by Witi Ihimaera. Roger Hall’s Robin Hood, the PantomimeSongs by Paul Jenden and Michael Nicholas WilliamsDirected by Susan Wilson21 November – 20 DecemberCirca One There he is! Oh no he isn’t. Oh, yes he is!! With loaded bow behind a treeYou never know where he will beHe moves like velvet, sleek and svelteAround the Wellington town belt His eye is quick, his aim is sureHe robs the rich to feed the poorHe’s always on the side of goodThe hero known as Robin Hood He lies in wait for those who ownA big estate and second homeFor millionaires who don’t pay tax  For bankers who don’t watch their backs You’ll see them suffer their defeatIn Circa’s brand new summer treatA pantomime for one and allIt’s Robin Hood by Roger Hall “fabulously fast and furious ... A treat”  - Capital Times “ACTION-PACKED… TONS OF FUN FOR YOUNG AND OLD!”  - The Dominion Post A Child’s Christmas in Wales (and other memories of childhood)By Dylan ThomasDramatised and performed by Ray Henwood28 November – 20 DecemberCirca Two What has been described as one of the most magical of Christmas stories is brought to the stage by Ray Henwood. It is rounded out by other memories of childhood, first presented by Dylan Thomas in one of his regular talks on the BBC Welsh Home Service. Thomas had a very happy childhood and so many of his young experiences resonate still with us today.The town of Swansea which is the locale of his stories had changed little by the time Ray was growing up. While Dylan lived in more salubrious surroundings, Ray was a “Sandfields” boy referred to by Dylan- and played in many of the areas described in the stories. It is a truly timeless tale and family celebrations have changed little, even in countries that celebrate a summer Christmas. Dylan’s work brings back memories that resonate so well with young and old. it is a true celebration of our experiences growing up. www.circa.co.nz
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    Circa Theatre, Taranaki Street, Te Aro, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
  
  

• • April update from DCM - together we can end homelessness

    • 1 May 2020
    • Downtown Community Ministry
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} } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnTextContent,.mcnBoxedTextContentColumn{ padding-right:18px !important; padding-left:18px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnImageCardLeftImageContent,.mcnImageCardRightImageContent{ padding-right:18px !important; padding-bottom:0 !important; padding-left:18px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcpreview-image-uploader{ display:none !important; width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h1{ font-size:30px !important; line-height:125% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h2{ font-size:26px !important; line-height:125% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h3{ font-size:20px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h4{ font-size:18px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .mcnTextContent,.mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:14px !important; 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; } } Reaching out to the most marginalised – during lock-down Reaching out to the most marginalised – during lock-down Natalia and Chris catch up with Mark in Te Aro Park During the COVID crisis, the priority for DCM’s Street Outreach team has been connecting with people rough sleeping or who are sleeping in their cars, and getting them in to emergency accommodation. “Government and other agencies worked together to rapidly increase the supply of emergency housing in response to the pandemic, and so we have been able to get rooms for many of these people, some of whom were not even prepared to consider such an option before the lock-down,” explains Outreach team leader, Natalia. “At DCM we often talk about 'Ki te hoe' or 'pick up the paddle'. What is it that motivates someone to finally pick up the paddle and do what it takes to get off the streets and into housing? In this case, concerns about limited access to food and toilets during lock-down, seeing that there weren’t the same opportunities to supplement their income through street begging with the streets empty, and being offered appealing accommodation, including new facilities, some of which also provide three meals a day. COVID-19 and the lock-down have offered us a unique opportunity in our work to end homelessness.” With a growing group of rough sleepers in emergency housing, the Outreach team can now prioritise supporting them to take the next steps. “We are seeing rough sleepers who were very reluctant to try emergency housing, even during the lock-down, now thriving in their new accommodation. The next step is to follow up with these taumai, and to have more kōrero with them about housing. There’s a window of opportunity while we know where they are, to talk about their situations and to do the groundwork to get them on the path to housing.” DCM is totally committed to a Housing First approach; this means that we will work with those we have been able to get off the streets and in to emergency housing, to get their names on to the social housing register and to work together to access a permanent home for them. This is something that for many of them would have been inconceivable a few months ago; but now they have taken a giant step, and this has opened up a whole new world of possibilities to them. Who knew that a time like this could be the greatest support in achieving our goal of ending homelessness in our city? This is part of a longer story about the mahi which DCM’s Street Outreach team is doing during lock-down: read the full story on our website. <!-- --> “Together we can” – find innovative solutions during lock-down Natalia out on outreach during Level 3, speaks to a man outside Westpac on Lambton Quay Some of the most marginalised people in our city have no home, no income and no ID. When these people are unable to access a bank account of their own, DCM provides them with a money management service, accesses a benefit for them and pays their bills; they then receive the remainder of their money by cheque. These cheques have to be cashed at a bank branch. This not only presented a significant problem during lock-down, but was potentially no longer a viable long-term option. DCM approached MSD and Westpac, and together came up with a solution which will make a difference in the lives of the poorest people during the current crisis and well beyond. Instead of receiving a weekly cheque, these people are now able to use a payment card supplied by Westpac. “Usually this would take a couple of months to organise, but we expedited it within two weeks so that these people could have their money,” Transactional Solutions Manager at Westpac, Julia Hopkins, says. It works like a debit card but is called a ‘prepaid card’ so DCM can put the amount of discretionary income which would have previously been paid out as a cash cheque onto the card, and the person can spend up to that limit. This is a fantastic step change, as we have grappled for some time with the problem of how to continue to deliver our money management service when cheques are ultimately phased out. The new initiatives which have enabled us to continue to support the most marginalised people in our city during the COVID-19 pandemic, also offer long-term benefits and solutions for our taumai.   Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, he toa takitini – Success is not the work of one, but the work of many. <!-- --> “Together we can” – an important conversation and shared commitment This morning the entire DCM team was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet with our local MP and New Zealand’s Minister of Finance, Grant Robertson – that’s 32 of us participating in a Zoom hui! We were able to share with him some of our learnings from recent weeks - the positive things and the challenges - and we were all uplifted by his responses. We updated Grant on the practical and innovative ways that DCM has responded to the crisis, and shared some of the positives, including: the speed at which a whole new stock of emergency housing has been made available, and  the excellent way in which the partnership between DCM, government, MSD and HUD, and other community agencies, has been working. Everyone has had a can-do attitude. Amongst the concerns we were able to raise:  The need to increase the stock of permanent housing, for people to move from emergency housing into their own homes During lock-down it has become clear that the level of substance misuse is larger than even we knew, and we will need more specialist drug and alcohol support in the future There are gaps around the integration of people exiting prison. During lock-down, we have had a significant number of taumai come to us direct from prison, including people who have served long prison terms sent to us to house in emergency housing. Grant acknowledged the courage and compassion that DCM has showed as we have kept working with vulnerable people. He spoke about a commitment to “Build Back Better” across a range of domains – from inequality and income support to a low carbon future.  And he invited DCM to be a part of this: “In the midst of this crisis, there is also a chance to look out to the horizon. We get to re-set things a bit; there is an opportunity here, and we need your help to co-design this new future.” Stephanie thanked him, accepted his challenge and issued another on behalf of DCM: “Thank you for the leadership you and the Prime Minister have shown to us as a nation. You have made bold decisions for us and you have shown the world this can be done with compassion and kindness” ... “Grant, we don’t want anyone to go backwards from here. Your government has often spoken about going hard, going fast. We have seen rapid decision-making and the benefits of this; let’s continue to go hard and go fast to end homelessness.” <!-- --> 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 © 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.
    • Accepted from DCM alerts archive 67 months ago by tonytw1
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    Wellington Zoological Gardens, Manchester Street, Melrose, Wellington, Wellington Region, 6021, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
  
  

• • 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; 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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)
  
  

• • In the census, did the homeless count?

    • 27 Mar 2018
    • Downtown Community Ministry
    • 96 In the census, did the homeless count? 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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In the census, did the homeless count? View this email in your browser   Ngā mihi mahana, In this month's census, DCM was determined to ensure that our taumai were counted. We wanted to share this story from The Spinoff with you at the end of this tax year, and invite you to make a donation to the on-going work of DCM in Wellington. Remember that for every dollar you donate, you can claim one-third back as a tax deduction.  In the census, did the homeless count? With the 2018 census pushed online there’s been much discussion about reaching those without computer access, who still need someone to knock on their door. But what about those without even a door to knock upon? Lee-Anne Duncan visited DCM. The southerly marks a sharp turn from a stunner summer to chilly autumn. At the start of each season, DCM marks the change with “Seasonal Kai”, a lunch they put on for their “taumai” – which is what DCM calls the people it supports, Wellington’s vulnerably housed or homeless. Some 30 taumai – meaning “to settle” – have come to the lunch. About half are Māori and there’s only one woman, a fair representation of DCM’s clientele. They’re very welcome. With the food waiting, a karakia is given and everyone is asked to consider what the change to the colder months means for those sleeping rough, those without a home. It’s happenstance the quarterly kai has fallen on that day, one of three in early March that hi-vis-clad Statistics New Zealand’s field officers are at DCM to guide taumai through filling out the census forms. But it likely means a few more have turned up and will agree to add their details to the national count – something DCM encourages those assembled to do. “This is a really important time for taumai to have a voice and tell the government we need to build more houses and feed more support and resources back to you. Filling out the census helps you add your voice,” the group is told. Situated on the site of Wellington’s Te Aro Pā, DCM’s kaupapa follows what would have happened at the pā all those years ago. “This is where people came for food, for shelter, for community, to have a voice, to speak, to be heard, to be lifted up, to be counted,” says DCM’s Michelle Scott. “So for us, supporting our people to be included in the census reinforces the kaupapa of this place. “It’s been a great opportunity for our community to get together, to chew the fat about what’s important, what’s necessary for them to move forward, and what society should be prioritising.” That’s exactly what Statistics NZ’s Dr John Mitchell set out to record when refocusing on how to count the hard-to-reach. “Many of them have high needs in terms of government services. Since government spending decisions are made on the basis of census data it’s even more important they are counted.”   Without needing as many people to go door-to-door this time, John says they could dedicate field officers to target people who couldn’t be reached with an internet code. “That includes groups who are low responding and need more encouragement and assistance to be enabled to do the census. We had a community engagement team out talking to many communities – Māori, Pacific, culturally and linguistically diverse communities – getting the message across why it’s important to do the census, and looking at ways to enable them. A subset of that was obviously the rough sleeping homeless.” As John’s team was out engaging, Michelle was also looking for ways to enable taumai to take part in the census. The organisation had worked hard to encourage them to vote in last year’s election, and many did. The feeling of empowerment, of having a say and being heard, remained. John and Michelle came up with the idea of having census officers at DCM – and other similar organisations around the country – to help marginalised people fill in the census. “Usually that’s done by a street count,” says John. “Where field officers walk along looking for people sleeping rough, and try to persuade them to give enough information to complete at least some of the individual form. “This census we’ve taken a multi-faceted approach. We’ve done a street count, but in eight cities we’ve worked with organisations who engaged directly using different approaches depending on what would suit their clients.” “It seems to have gone well, with lots of buy-in by letting the people the rough sleepers know and trust recommend doing the census.” Trust is certainly a major issue for  taumai and others like them. While voting is just ticking a box, filling out the census means handing over personal information. “But they trust DCM and trust us not to get them into trouble,” says Natalia Cleland, one of DCM’s social workers. “We’ve been talking about the census for weeks. We put up notices covering what the census is about, why it’s useful and what happens with the information. Our taumai also had the chance to tell us their concerns, then we could get the right information to give them confidence.” “It also gave them time to gather the information they needed,” says Michelle. “We could say, ‘If you’re Māori and you aren’t sure about your iwi, go away and find out so you can include it in the census’. “We wanted them to come with that rich part of who they are and what’s gone before them. It really appealed to them as a topic of conversation and it was fascinating to see them connecting and discussing their various backgrounds. So lots of other positive things have come out of doing the census here.” But for the country the main benefit of having three days of census filling at DCM, and like organisations, is that many people have registered their existence who otherwise wouldn’t have. “Some of our people don’t have any ID and may not even be recorded on any databases. If they’ve filled out the census they are recorded somewhere as a human being and as a New Zealander,” says Michelle. While not having an address is one barrier to filling out the census, low-to-no literacy is another. Even taumai who DCM has supported into housing came in for support, with one knocking at DCM’s door at 8:55am on census day morning, waving his census form. Yes, Statistics NZ offered to send field officers to people’s homes if they needed help, but that wouldn’t have worked for all of DCM’s taumai, says Michelle. “This is where their whānau is. Here, some of them have sat in our marae atea and discussed their answers with each other. They had kōrero with others who had already done it, and they’d say, ‘Well, I did that, I ticked that box’, so they got a huge resource from one another.” Robert is one who wouldn’t have completed the census without DCM’s help. Released from prison in 2016, he slept for a while in his van. He’s housed now, but came to DCM to do this census – his first ever. “If someone hadn’t helped me, I would have just got pissed off with trying. We were told the story of why you should fill it out, and then it made sense to me so I did it. “I encourage people who have been in prison all their lives to do this. It’s a piece of the puzzle that is missing. When we include ourselves in things like this, it helps us to feel part of the bigger picture and you want to do it more and more. It feels pretty cool to fill it out.” Jason sleeps anywhere that’s (hopefully) warm and dry. Along with homelessness, literacy issues would have prevented him filling out the census. “I understand we’re not counted but they’re trying to make a change, the government. I wanted to fill it out because it adds to the big picture. But without someone helping me, I couldn’t. I appreciate DCM giving us the opportunity to have a voice.” The staff at DCM are happy to play their part in drawing that big picture. “It’s not giving an accurate picture of New Zealand society if we count only people who are willing and able to fill out their census forms,” says Natalia. “We’re helping provide New Zealand build an accurate picture of who we are, and who are the ones with the highest needs. That feels really valuable.” Statistics NZ can’t pinpoint when this year’s data will be available, but be sure everyone at DCM will be watching to see how that data is used. “We’ve reinforced that this is about reciprocity – ‘tuki atu, tuku mai’, another of our kaupapa,” says Michelle. “We told our taumai that they give their information so, in turn, the government can support them – with enough houses, hospitals, doctors, etc. “They now feel like they have a voice, that they count. Now they are watching to see if they’ve been heard.” Freelance journalist Lee-Anne Duncan contributed this piece as a volunteer for The Community Comms Collective, whose pro bono clients include DCM. Thank you for your ongoing support, From everyone at DCM.   Click Here to Donate Now! <!-- --> Copyright © 2018 DCM, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list
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• • In the census, did the homeless count?

    • 27 Mar 2018
    • Downtown Community Ministry
    • 96 In the census, did the homeless count? 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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In the census, did the homeless count? View this email in your browser   Ngā mihi mahana, In this month's census, DCM was determined to ensure that our taumai were counted. We wanted to share this story from The Spinoff with you at the end of this tax year, and invite you to make a donation to the on-going work of DCM in Wellington. Remember that for every dollar you donate, you can claim one-third back as a tax deduction.  In the census, did the homeless count? With the 2018 census pushed online there’s been much discussion about reaching those without computer access, who still need someone to knock on their door. But what about those without even a door to knock upon? Lee-Anne Duncan visited DCM. The southerly marks a sharp turn from a stunner summer to chilly autumn. At the start of each season, DCM marks the change with “Seasonal Kai”, a lunch they put on for their “taumai” – which is what DCM calls the people it supports, Wellington’s vulnerably housed or homeless. Some 30 taumai – meaning “to settle” – have come to the lunch. About half are Māori and there’s only one woman, a fair representation of DCM’s clientele. They’re very welcome. With the food waiting, a karakia is given and everyone is asked to consider what the change to the colder months means for those sleeping rough, those without a home. It’s happenstance the quarterly kai has fallen on that day, one of three in early March that hi-vis-clad Statistics New Zealand’s field officers are at DCM to guide taumai through filling out the census forms. But it likely means a few more have turned up and will agree to add their details to the national count – something DCM encourages those assembled to do. “This is a really important time for taumai to have a voice and tell the government we need to build more houses and feed more support and resources back to you. Filling out the census helps you add your voice,” the group is told. Situated on the site of Wellington’s Te Aro Pā, DCM’s kaupapa follows what would have happened at the pā all those years ago. “This is where people came for food, for shelter, for community, to have a voice, to speak, to be heard, to be lifted up, to be counted,” says DCM’s Michelle Scott. “So for us, supporting our people to be included in the census reinforces the kaupapa of this place. “It’s been a great opportunity for our community to get together, to chew the fat about what’s important, what’s necessary for them to move forward, and what society should be prioritising.” That’s exactly what Statistics NZ’s Dr John Mitchell set out to record when refocusing on how to count the hard-to-reach. “Many of them have high needs in terms of government services. Since government spending decisions are made on the basis of census data it’s even more important they are counted.”   Without needing as many people to go door-to-door this time, John says they could dedicate field officers to target people who couldn’t be reached with an internet code. “That includes groups who are low responding and need more encouragement and assistance to be enabled to do the census. We had a community engagement team out talking to many communities – Māori, Pacific, culturally and linguistically diverse communities – getting the message across why it’s important to do the census, and looking at ways to enable them. A subset of that was obviously the rough sleeping homeless.” As John’s team was out engaging, Michelle was also looking for ways to enable taumai to take part in the census. The organisation had worked hard to encourage them to vote in last year’s election, and many did. The feeling of empowerment, of having a say and being heard, remained. John and Michelle came up with the idea of having census officers at DCM – and other similar organisations around the country – to help marginalised people fill in the census. “Usually that’s done by a street count,” says John. “Where field officers walk along looking for people sleeping rough, and try to persuade them to give enough information to complete at least some of the individual form. “This census we’ve taken a multi-faceted approach. We’ve done a street count, but in eight cities we’ve worked with organisations who engaged directly using different approaches depending on what would suit their clients.” “It seems to have gone well, with lots of buy-in by letting the people the rough sleepers know and trust recommend doing the census.” Trust is certainly a major issue for  taumai and others like them. While voting is just ticking a box, filling out the census means handing over personal information. “But they trust DCM and trust us not to get them into trouble,” says Natalia Cleland, one of DCM’s social workers. “We’ve been talking about the census for weeks. We put up notices covering what the census is about, why it’s useful and what happens with the information. Our taumai also had the chance to tell us their concerns, then we could get the right information to give them confidence.” “It also gave them time to gather the information they needed,” says Michelle. “We could say, ‘If you’re Māori and you aren’t sure about your iwi, go away and find out so you can include it in the census’. “We wanted them to come with that rich part of who they are and what’s gone before them. It really appealed to them as a topic of conversation and it was fascinating to see them connecting and discussing their various backgrounds. So lots of other positive things have come out of doing the census here.” But for the country the main benefit of having three days of census filling at DCM, and like organisations, is that many people have registered their existence who otherwise wouldn’t have. “Some of our people don’t have any ID and may not even be recorded on any databases. If they’ve filled out the census they are recorded somewhere as a human being and as a New Zealander,” says Michelle. While not having an address is one barrier to filling out the census, low-to-no literacy is another. Even taumai who DCM has supported into housing came in for support, with one knocking at DCM’s door at 8:55am on census day morning, waving his census form. Yes, Statistics NZ offered to send field officers to people’s homes if they needed help, but that wouldn’t have worked for all of DCM’s taumai, says Michelle. “This is where their whānau is. Here, some of them have sat in our marae atea and discussed their answers with each other. They had kōrero with others who had already done it, and they’d say, ‘Well, I did that, I ticked that box’, so they got a huge resource from one another.” Robert is one who wouldn’t have completed the census without DCM’s help. Released from prison in 2016, he slept for a while in his van. He’s housed now, but came to DCM to do this census – his first ever. “If someone hadn’t helped me, I would have just got pissed off with trying. We were told the story of why you should fill it out, and then it made sense to me so I did it. “I encourage people who have been in prison all their lives to do this. It’s a piece of the puzzle that is missing. When we include ourselves in things like this, it helps us to feel part of the bigger picture and you want to do it more and more. It feels pretty cool to fill it out.” Jason sleeps anywhere that’s (hopefully) warm and dry. Along with homelessness, literacy issues would have prevented him filling out the census. “I understand we’re not counted but they’re trying to make a change, the government. I wanted to fill it out because it adds to the big picture. But without someone helping me, I couldn’t. I appreciate DCM giving us the opportunity to have a voice.” The staff at DCM are happy to play their part in drawing that big picture. “It’s not giving an accurate picture of New Zealand society if we count only people who are willing and able to fill out their census forms,” says Natalia. “We’re helping provide New Zealand build an accurate picture of who we are, and who are the ones with the highest needs. That feels really valuable.” Statistics NZ can’t pinpoint when this year’s data will be available, but be sure everyone at DCM will be watching to see how that data is used. “We’ve reinforced that this is about reciprocity – ‘tuki atu, tuku mai’, another of our kaupapa,” says Michelle. “We told our taumai that they give their information so, in turn, the government can support them – with enough houses, hospitals, doctors, etc. “They now feel like they have a voice, that they count. Now they are watching to see if they’ve been heard.” Freelance journalist Lee-Anne Duncan contributed this piece as a volunteer for The Community Comms Collective, whose pro bono clients include DCM. Thank you for your ongoing support, From everyone at DCM.   Click Here to Donate Now! <!-- --> Copyright © 2018 DCM, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list
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• • November Update from DCM - Together We Can End Homelessness

    • 29 Nov 2019
    • Downtown Community Ministry
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} } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnTextContent,.mcnBoxedTextContentColumn{ padding-right:18px !important; padding-left:18px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnImageCardLeftImageContent,.mcnImageCardRightImageContent{ padding-right:18px !important; padding-bottom:0 !important; padding-left:18px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcpreview-image-uploader{ display:none !important; width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h1{ font-size:30px !important; line-height:125% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h2{ font-size:26px !important; line-height:125% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h3{ font-size:20px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h4{ font-size:18px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .mcnTextContent,.mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:14px !important; 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; } } Support DCM this Christmas Each year, Nota Bene hold a very special Christmas concert at Prefab Hall as a fundraiser for DCM’s work with people who are experiencing homelessness. Those of you who were able to visit our 50th birthday photo exhibition will have seen this image by Wellington photographer Mark Beehre which reflected the loyal support of these talented performers. We encourage you to head down and join us at Prefab for a glass of wine in the sun, some beautiful music and a chance to lift up these kaitautoko of our work. Please get the word out to all your contacts and networks!   Tuesday 3 December, 6-8pm Prefab Hall, 14 Jessie Street No cover charge. Koha for DCM. <!-- --> Reaching out to the most marginalised DCM’s Outreach team helps support Wellington’s most marginalised people. It also gives Wellingtonians a way to make a real difference in the lives of people begging or sleeping rough in the city. It’s the bright blue sleeping bag that catches Natalia Cleland’s eye. The woman is lying on a wooden bench in the winter sun outside the McDonald’s on Manners Street. Her long brown hair falls over the backpack she’s using as a pillow as she tries to sleep, facing the back of the bench. While Rob Sarich stays back, both to not alarm the woman and to remain watchful, Natalia approaches and talks to her. After a few minutes, Natalia returns. "I know her. And I’m really glad to see her because she hasn’t been in for a while and I was starting to get worried. She told me she’s hungry, so I said to come in for a feed and a korero. I’ll also check where she is on the social housing register and see if there’s anything I can do." Natalia and Rob are social workers with DCM. Formerly known as the Downtown Community Ministry, for 50 years DCM has been working to end homelessness in Wellington. Offering a variety of services, one of their main focuses is on supporting their taumai (meaning ‘to settle’, and what DCM calls those who use its services) into sustainable housing and back into life. To ensure people who are experiencing homelessness get the support they need, each week day DCM social workers walk the capital’s streets, usually in pairs, on ‘Outreach’, looking for people who are begging or appear to be sleeping rough. While much of DCM’s work is funded by donors and fundraising, the Wellington City Council pays for DCM’s Outreach team as part of its commitment to ending homelessness and street begging. "Many people experiencing homelessness or street begging find their way here to DCM," says Natalia. "But there are others who we aren’t working with and who aren’t engaging with other services. So we go out to speak with them where they are, and to encourage them to spend some time with us at DCM. "We also get referrals from other social services. Like, the team at the Soup Kitchen might call to say there’s someone new in town and can we come talk to them about how DCM can support them? We take the approach that any door is the right door. We don’t mind how they get to us; we just want them to come in and spend time at DCM. Then we can begin to build a relationship with them, with the aim of getting them off the street and into a whare," says Natalia. Rob and Natalia clearly have great memories for names and faces. At Midland Park, on the lunchtime-busy Lambton Quay, the pair spot a man they’ve seen before. He’s sitting on a bench, his duffle bag tucked beside him. "To most people he looks like someone taking a rest, but we immediately see someone who’s not quite fitting in," says Rob. They both go over and talk; Natalia perches a polite distance away on the bench and Rob sits on a concrete step in front of him. They don’t talk long. "But that’s the longest we’ve managed to talk to him. Usually he doesn’t even let us sit down," says Natalia. "He just says, 'No thank you, no thank you,' and waves us off. But we usually get a bit more information each time." It takes a certain chutzpah to go up to someone sleeping rough and begging to talk about their situation.  But it’s what Natalia, Rob and other members of DCM who go on Outreach do. "We’ll introduce ourselves and say where we’re from, and we’ll invite them down to DCM," says Natalia.  And when they do come down, there’s a lot DCM can offer. They can talk to the physio about their aches from sleeping rough, see a dentist for the toothache that’s giving them constant pain or get something from the food bank. "We look for what’s going to interest them enough to engage, then we can start talking about housing," says Rob.  There is some reciprocity expected. "That might be only that they open up to us a little too, that they give us their real name, or their real date of birth; something that shows some trust in us," says Rob. "What we do is about manaakitanga, which is about hospitality, but also about lifting up people’s mana. So we need to give them the space to show that they can do something too." There’s something the public can do as well, and it’s not about giving money or sandwiches. It’s calling the Wellington City Council if they see someone sleeping rough within the council’s boundaries. The council then calls DCM, who send one of their people out to engage with them, bashing through bush, scrambling up trees or down under bridges if that’s what it takes. "Often it’s people we would never have found on our own," says Natalia. "One time we got a call about a woman sleeping at the Freyberg Beach toilets, and another in the Balaena Bay toilets. We can’t go and knock on all the toilet doors so we wouldn’t have found them without someone calling us." While DCM certainly needs notifications from the public, the best ones come from the taumai themselves, concerned about someone new sleeping rough. "Often they will meet someone at the Night Shelter or somewhere on the streets and they’ll encourage them to come and see us, or they’ll bring them in. We love that. That shows real trust.’" – From the latest One Percent Collective Generosity Journal. Words by Lee-Anne Duncan. Images by Pat Shepherd. We are looking for new kaimahi (staff) to join DCM's Street Outreach Team. If you would love to be part of the amazing work you've just read about, please get in touch with Matt. <!-- --> Giving feels good! One Percent Collective helps to raise money for DCM and 13 other Kiwi-based charities. They’re a tiny crew of two people but they’re making a big difference. Since 2015 their regular givers have contributed $170,000 to DCM. 100% of that money has been passed on to us. One Percent Collective handles all of the admin so the money just shows up in our account – no strings attached. One Percent Collective’s running costs are covered by 50 generous individuals and corporate sponsors but they don’t have big marketing budgets. Between now and March 2020, they’re running a campaign with a target of 200 new givers. That could mean up to $10,000 extra raised per year for DCM! Their campaign celebrates those who give and the good feelings that giving brings. We encourage you to join One Percent Collective. If you already donate to us, please help One Percent Collective inspire generosity in more people by sharing this link via social media. Do good - feel good! Support One Percent Collective and DCM. <!-- --> Buy a gift for DCM We just can’t get by without a reliable freezer here at DCM. We store the wonderful donations of Pandoro products and other frozen goods which we receive from generous Wellingtonians in our foodbank freezers. But our trusty and ageing freezer is beginning to make strange noises, and we really need to replace it in the next few weeks. Can you or someone you know help us with this? A brand new chest freezer will cost us about $1,000.If this is something you'd like to purchase, or contribute toward, please get in touch. <!-- --> 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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• • Ngā Kōrero - Latest stories from DCM

    • 30 Oct 2022
    • Downtown Community Ministry
    • 96 Ngā Kōrero - Latest stories from DCM 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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} } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnTextContent,.mcnBoxedTextContentColumn{ padding-right:18px !important; padding-left:18px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnImageCardLeftImageContent,.mcnImageCardRightImageContent{ padding-right:18px !important; padding-bottom:0 !important; padding-left:18px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcpreview-image-uploader{ display:none !important; width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h1{ font-size:30px !important; line-height:125% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h2{ font-size:26px !important; line-height:125% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h3{ font-size:20px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h4{ font-size:18px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .mcnTextContent,.mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:14px !important; 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; } } This month’s update takes a slightly different form as we look into New Zealand’s housing crisis from different angles. Building communities where whānau are housed, connected, valued and thriving About Us Contact New Zealand’s housing crisis This month’s update takes a slightly different form as we look into New Zealand’s housing crisis from different angles. We have been talking to everyone from the decision makers, to private landlords helping solve the housing crisis, to those impacted by homelessness – the people we work with at DCM each and every day. Parties agree on supply, differ on other solutions New Zealand’s main political parties are continuing to debate solutions to the country’s housing crisis as new research shows that bipartisan housing intensification law changes are long overdue. Research by the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga, reveals that house prices have accelerated since 1980 because New Zealand cities stopped expanding and didn’t develop enough infill housing. Both Labour and National supported legislation in December 2021 allowing buildings of up to three storeys in cities without any need for resource consent. Houses in the Lyall Bay suburb of Wellington, New Zealand. Photographer: Mark Coote/Bloomberg. CC BY. But the parties disagree on other solutions to the housing crisis, and National plan to reduce the bright-line test from 10 years to two, and revisit interest deductibility rule changes for property investors, should they be elected in 2023. National Party Housing Spokesperson Chris Bishop says advice from officials is that the bright-line and interest deductibility changes put pressure on the private rental market. Housing Minister Megan Woods disputes this. “There is no evidence that those measures are putting pressure on the market,” says Woods. “We know that rather than leaving the rental market, multiple property owners account for 36.2% of activity (Q3 2022), close to the long-term average since 2017 of 36.5%. “It’s important to note the changes were made to discourage speculators and even the playing field for first home buyers.” In early 2018, the Labour-led government also banned foreign speculators from buying housing in New Zealand, but Bishop says they were never a big part of the market. “Labour for quite a long time didn’t want to deal with the underlying issue, which is supply. They have this thing around foreign buyers, and they have this thing around landlords – who they call speculators – when the actual issue is just supply,” Bishop says. Supply is where the parties agree, though the bipartisan housing intensification law changes are facing opposition from local councils, and National leader Christopher Luxon has also hinted at revisiting the rules. Bishop says National is committed to housing intensification. “The importance of this is that it gives certainty to the market. To developers, and people doing housing, that there’s now a shared commitment across the two main political parties that housing supply is really important.” Woods agrees. “That’s why this Government brought in the National Policy Statement on Urban Development (NPS-UD) to allow more housing in areas where people want to live. In urban centres close to work, schools, public transport, and other amenities. “Similarly, the legislation that Parliament passed last year with near-unanimity, and acceleration of the NPS-UD, allows for more housing types and density to be built to meet the needs of New Zealanders.” Despite the progress made with private builds, public housing has lagged, with emergency housing a dire prospect for some, as revealed in Rotorua after an investigation by TVNZ’s Sunday programme. Labour has built 10,328 additional public homes since coming into office to date, but with 26,664 applicants on the housing register as of 30 June 2022, permanent housing remains out of reach for many. Bishop says he plans to eliminate housing waitlists altogether, but that it must be done through supply.  “The ultimate answer to everything related to housing in New Zealand is more houses. Everything comes back to that,” says Bishop. “You don’t have enough houses for people to buy, they end up renting. When you have more people renting – and less rental properties – rents go up. Some people can’t afford those rents, they end up on the waitlist. The waitlist goes up – there’s not enough social housing – people end up in motels.” Kiwibank has predicted that New Zealand will have a housing surplus at some stage over the next 12 months while building activity outstrips demand. Bishop says he laughed out loud when he heard the Kiwibank prediction. “My response is we will have a surplus when no one lives in a car and no one lives in a motel. And everyone who needs a social house can get one.” Woods looks to the record level of consents made – 50,736 dwellings consented in the year to June 2022, compared to 30,453 in the year to June 2017 – as significant progress. “We’re also mindful that a consent is not a house until it is completed. We’re closely monitoring building activity, particularly as there are headwinds due to global supply issues and other economic factors,” says Woods. “There is more work still to be done to ensure that the right types of dwellings are built where they are needed, and that they are affordable – whether for homeowners or renters.” This article was written by DCM's Kaiarataki Pūrongo Matthew Mawkes as part of a journalism course at Massey University. Special thanks to Lee-Ann Duncan for the newswriting tips. <!-- --> The landlords helping solve the housing crisis Matthew Ryan has been in the news a lot lately – you might have read about him on Stuff talking about property prices, or heard him on his fortnightly Hot Property podcast on Newstalk ZB. Often referred to as a ‘mega landlord’, what may surprise many is that Matthew is helping solve New Zealand’s housing crisis by providing properties to DCM’s Aro Mai Housing First team. Matthew Ryan is our largest landlord, currently providing housing for 17 taumai. Matthew was born in Wellington in 1964. He has a lot of love for the city, where he has spent most of his life. He grew up in a working-class family, working at McDonald’s in Porirua from 1981-1985, where he made $4.34 an hour. “I’ve probably come from a bit of a dysfunctional family,” Matthew reflects. “It was a hard upbringing. I guess in adversity sometimes you have to rise above it. You can go two ways with things. You can decide to be a part of it, or you can make it work for you.” By 1987, Matthew had brought his first property with a friend. In the late 1980s, he relocated to London where he sold real estate. “It was a recession time in the United Kingdom, but it was fascinating living in a big city like that – all the opportunity,” Matthew says. “I was in my early 20s. I arrived with $5,000 – about £2,500 – and I ended up buying three properties by the end of it. I wish I had them now of course!” Back in New Zealand Matthew continued working in real estate – becoming a bona fide property expert in the process – and his focus is now on Wellington. “It’s a bit easier to manage houses where you live,” he says. Matthew is Aro Mai Housing First’s largest landlord, currently providing housing for 17 taumai. Our Housing First team started by taking a few properties, and when that worked out, Matthew offered more – in particular in the Hutt Valley, where a large number of taumai have been housed. “The relationship blossomed,” Matthew says. “Because it makes sense. “It’s taken a while to understand how it all works. Like a lot of things, it evolves as it goes, but I now have a better understanding of how Aro Mai works, and who’s responsible for what.” It takes support from DCM, Emerge Aotearoa as a CHP (Community Housing Provider), and property owners, to make Aro Mai Housing First work. And there are challenges, such as obtaining insurance, which infuriates Matthew. “If an insurance company is prepared to insure a building on the basis that I pick John and Mary Smith, they’re happy enough to rent on that basis, but if I give it to Emerge Aotearoa, and they pick the same John and Mary Smith, they go, ‘No we don’t want them’. “That has to be discrimination. And that is not on, really.” But Matthew says Housing First is an attractive option for landlords, because not only are they helping solve the housing crisis by renting to people who have experienced homelessness, properties are managed for them, and they can benefit from changes to tax deductibility rules. Matthew would like to see the government step in to address the insurance issue. “If they can’t force their hand they probably need to say OK, well, we need to assist here.” In the meantime, Matthew continues to offer properties to DCM's Aro Mai Housing First team. Our vision is for a community where whānau are housed, connected, valued, and thriving. In the middle of a housing crisis, we need many more landlords just like Matthew who are truly making that vision become a reality. If you would like to know more about how you can provide homes for the people we are supporting out of homelessness, please get in touch with our Kaiārahi Whiwhinga (Property Procurement Officer) Shaun. For more information about how Housing First works, visit our website and check out the story of Dev. <!-- --> Challenging perceptions about homelessness The phone call to police was simple, but urgent – “Someone’s dead on the side of the street.” So began John’s day rough sleeping in Wellington, as social workers from DCM woke him up, the police close by their side. It was a turning point for John, who is now housed in a property provided by Wellington landlord Matthew Ryan through Aro Mai Housing First, a government-funded initiative that helps people who have experienced homelessness for at least a year get into permanent housing. Aged only 27, John has experienced a decade of living rough, and challenges the perceptions people have about homelessness, which he says is not always about addictions and mental health – though these issues have crossed his path too. For John, homelessness came about as a direct result of being kicked out of home. “Family life was rough. Especially due to the religious abuse of my mother,” says John. “I got disowned two weeks before I turned 16.” John, 27, pictured in Te Aro Park. He is now housed after a decade of homelessness through the Aro Mai Housing First initiative that recognises that it’s easier for people to deal with complex issues if they have a stable place to live. Raised Jehovah’s Witness, Martin’s teenage rebellion saw him take to the streets of Whangarei. He started self-harming and was on a suicide watch for four years. “I’ve been pissed on, I’ve been shat on, I’ve been spat on. Been abused – physically and emotionally.”  Wanting a fresh start, John hitchhiked to Wellington where the lure of free coffee and internet brought him to DCM. John was able to access emergency housing and, through DCM's Aro Mai Housing First team, a permanent place of his own. “I have my own bed, a couch, a TV. I’ve never physically owned any of this stuff. My prized possession has always been my skateboard. Living inside, it’s kind of like – what am I going to do now?” John’s key focus is on his health, and he is currently going through very serious medical treatments. He looks forward to doing some training and getting into work, helping others his age who have also experienced homelessness. “Years ago I was hustling with a little sign out and this guy yells at me – ‘Get a fucking job!’ An hour or so later he comes back, sits down beside me, and we chat. I explained my history and he had suggestions. He found out I had done the yards. I said bro – don’t judge a book by its cover.” We are relieved that John has a whare of his own, where he can recuperate and focus on his wellbeing. To support people like John, we need many more staff, especially for our large and growing Aro Mai Housing First team. Not only does this team procure properties, they provide the wraparound support needed to ensure those properties are maintained, and that taumai are able to thrive. Do you know anyone who would love to work for our amazing organisation? Visit our website for more info. <!-- --> Support DCM We call the people we work with taumai, meaning to settle. This reflects the journey we set out on together – to become settled, stable and well. Nāku te rourou, nāu te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi. With your basket and my basket, the people will thrive. <!-- --> Copyright © 2022 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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• • DCM Bookfair 2018 - One Week to Go!

    • 27 Jul 2018
    • Downtown Community Ministry
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DCM Bookfair 2018 - One Week to Go! View this email in your browser DCM's annual, fundraising Bookfair is ONE week away! Saturday 4 August, Shed 6, Queen's Wharf, 8am-6pm. Wellington's annual DCM Bookfair has been raising funds for vulnerable Wellingtonians for 23 years - but unless a new storage venue is found, this year's event will be the last. Our thanks to Lee-Anne Duncan for this story, published in today's Your Weekend. There's never a shortage of donations but the storage unit DCM has relied on will not be available next year, leaving the future of the book fair in doubt. Every year, book lovers flock to the DCM Bookfair on Wellington's waterfront to grab an armful of bargains in support of vulnerably housed citizens. But unless a new storage venue is found, this year's event will be the last. Lee-Anne Duncan reports. It's catnip to bibliophiles, that smell. It's the bouquet of books, heavy with dust and knowledge, to be stacked and sorted, packed then transported to Wellington's Shed 6 for next Saturday's DCM Bookfair. This year is the 23rd time hundreds of volunteers have poured thousands of hours into collecting, sorting, boxing and setting out nearly 100,000 books for the country's biggest book fair. The event is also DCM's biggest single fundraiser. Formerly known as the Downtown Community Ministry, DCM works "at the serious end" of homelessness. Along with supporting people to find sustainable accommodation, DCM provides a variety of services to support vulnerable Wellingtonians. The organisation calls the people they work with "taumai", meaning "to settle", preferring it to the less personal "client". While DCM receives funds from local and central government to carry out some of its work, donations and fundraising events like this one are its lifeblood. If this book fair is as successful as those past, a near quarter century of book fairs will have collectively raised at least $2 million to fund DCM's work. "That's $2 million we haven't had to ask of central or local government agencies," says Stephanie McIntyre, DCM's director for the past 14 years. "The only reason we have been able to raise that money is through the generosity of Wellingtonians who donate their books, the people who buy them, and of course the volunteers who give their time to make it all happen." A fundraiser's success often comes down to those volunteers, especially for an event as large and complex as DCM's annual book fair. But this year's event might be its last, as the planned development of Shelly Bay means the Wellington City Council-owned warehouse used to store and sort donated books won't be available next year. "All this is absolutely at risk," says McIntyre. "We have had zero response trying to find another warehouse. We'd love to have another book fair as it's become such a classic Wellington thing and it's essential fundraising for us. Next year is our 50th birthday and it would be a great shame not to have a book fair in such an important year." DCM director Stephanie McIntyre. Many – if not most – of the fair's volunteers give their time year after year. A core group of about 30 helpers travel to the warehouse on Thursdays or Saturdays, or both, for generally five or six hours a day every week between April and August. There, wrapped up against the winter chill, they receive donations, sort the books into categories, then into subcategories, and sometimes even into micro-categories. "I've found quite a few books on grief. I'm hoping I can get enough together to make a section of its own," says long-time volunteer Wendy Nelson. "And I've got all these diet books. This year we seem to have a lot of paleo books." Spirited exchanges have been known to happen over categories. All Blacks Don't Cry by John Kirwan, for example: "Is that sport or mental health? I even found copy in Psychology earlier," says Nelson. If there's more than one copy – and often there is – the books can be allotted wherever book seekers may think to find it. A marine biologist, Nelson works full time as a principal scientist at Niwa but spends her Saturdays sorting. She's been involved in the book fair every year since the first, in 1996. "The then director, Helen Walch, said she'd had this great idea to hold a second-hand book fair as a fundraiser that would engage the volunteers and community. "I thought it sounded like a good idea – I like books, so why not get involved? DCM does such important work, and is such an important part of Wellington. Sometimes it's hard to know how to contribute, but this is a way for us to do our own small bit."  Volunteer Wendy Nelson, a marine biologist and book lover. Each year DCM supports about 1000 people who are experiencing homelessness or in danger of becoming homeless. But the work DCM does goes far beyond putting a roof over their heads. Every DCM day begins with a karakia and waiata. DCM kaimahi (staff) and their taumai gather to give thanks for the new day at 9am when the organisation's doors open in Te Aro's Lukes Lane. Social workers are on hand to talk to taumai to get to the heart of why they're experiencing homelessness. They support the person to access a benefit and manage their money, find and sustain housing, and connect to whānau and culture, health and other services. Statistics New Zealand defines homelessness as: "Living situations where people with no other options to acquire safe and secure housing are without shelter, in temporary accommodation, sharing accommodation with a household, or living in uninhabitable housing." Research by Otago School of Medicine in 2016 put the number of New Zealanders living this way at more than 40,000 people, nearly 1 per cent of our total population – the highest rate of homelessness in the OECD. It's difficult to accurately quantify homelessness. During this year's census, DCM staff worked with Statistics NZ staff to encourage and support people who were homeless to complete the census forms. "We explained that government funding decisions are made on census data, so filling out the census made sure they were counted," says McIntyre. DCM's own data vividly describes the increase in demand. Over the past five years, the number of people who are homeless that come to DCM for support has increased by more than a third. "Even more worrying, the number of people we see who are actually without shelter – so rough sleeping, or sleeping in cars – has more than doubled." McIntyre expects the number of people DCM supports to increase this year. "When you get a severe housing crisis, as we have now, it's the most vulnerable who are kicked to the end of the line. As housing gets harder for everyone it gets especially hard for these people, which makes our work even more necessary." In May, the Government announced $100 million to address homelessness – $37 million of that was allocated to find places by the end of this winter, with the rest spent over four years on the Housing First programme. While DCM will be at the forefront of delivering Housing First in Wellington, the organisation will continue to rely on volunteers and donations to pay for its core services. We visit four Saturdays from sale day. There's a stiff nor'wester whipping the waves a few metres from the warehouse. Out in the harbour, a rare southern right whale is leading the news. Te Amo Roberts, another volunteer and someone DCM has supported, reports he saw the whale on his way in. He stirs himself a coffee between breaking down cardboard boxes and helping with some of the "grunt work". Volunteer Te Amo Roberts received assistance from DCM in the past. Today, he's an important part of the book fair team. "There are some biscuits on the sideboard, Te Amo – Cameo Cremes," says McIntyre, who's holding a brief meeting with a small group of volunteers, a long, tightly written to-do list on her crossed knee. Cut sandwiches and fruit are boxed on the sideboard, along with those Cameo Cremes. Everyone knows a volunteer army sorts and packs on its stomach. Most of the fair's book-sorting volunteers stick to their areas of expertise – a retired anaesthetist is set to work deciding which medical books are still useful, and a war buff flicks through the military books. They determine which books will sell and for how much, which subjects are likely to be "in"' this year, and which – judging by the number of those donated – are on their way out. The volunteers' knowledge also means they're well-placed to spot a valuable book. Then, with the aid of local auction house expertise and internet bookseller searches, a price is applied and the book is included in the high-value stack. "We do get some amazing finds where people might not have realised they've gifted us an extraordinary treasure, but we have no way of reuniting it with its owner," says McIntyre, who, drawing on her own pre DCM music industry career knowledge, found a rare Beatles book some fairs back. "At the same time I'm sure we've had books we've sold for $2 that may have been worth hundreds. But you've got to be philosophical." A hand-drawn diagram of the Shed 6 book fair layout is pinned to the wall. Each table has a number assigned to a book category: children's, history, health, fiction (so much fiction), New Zealand, art, and so on. The more work done now, the better 100 or so volunteers on set-up day know exactly where everything fits. Taking too many books to fit a category's allocated section would lead to chaos – setting out 90,000 books is a precise science. "We've got a phenomenally good offering of children's books this year, so we've had to shuffle up some other things to accommodate that," says McIntyre, scrutinising the diagram. "The foreign languages are fine but the music is the big headache at the moment," says one volunteer, popping in to give McIntyre a quick update on her areas. The team is following a packing plan with scheduled revision points. According to the plan, by this day 75 per cent of books must be sorted, tallied and packed on pallets (each holding about 800 books) ready for transportation to Shed 6 at dawn the day before fair day. With clipboard in hand, Alexi Manouilenko is responsible for the tally. DCM stepped in when he needed support a couple of years ago, which led to him volunteering on fair day in 2016. "As well as wanting to give back to DCM, I'd been out of work for a while and people are reluctant to hire you when you don't have anything to explain your time off. I realised the best way to get back into work was to volunteer to show I could work. I already knew DCM so I volunteered for two years. That led to some paid work and now I have a full-time job with DCM."  Part of Manouilenko's job is to decide how many books in each category should go to the fair and use his maths skills to keep tabs on the packing. "I look at the previous two years to see how many books were taken in each category and how many were sold. From that I try to guess at what we should take this year, and I tell the volunteers how many boxes in each category to pack." This level of organisation is why DCM must close the book on donations four weeks out from the fair. Even on the last day, every few minutes book-toting donors poke their heads around the peeling-painted door. "I just want to drop some books," says a man, setting down his burden. "Thank you, mate," says McIntyre. "Come to the fair and buy a whole lot more, won't you?" Surely he will – book lovers only clear their shelves to fill them with new finds. While the DCM Bookfair is certainly about finding new homes for old books, it's also about raising funds to support marginalised Wellingtonians into homes of their own. Nelson remembers when the team was ecstatic to raise $15,000 – now the book fair raises around $100,000, which goes directly into funding DCM's work with people experiencing homelessness. It's that work, as well as their shared love of books, that motivates the volunteers. Volunteer Tamara Morton with stacks of books ready for the fair. Tamara Morton is a consulate advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, but spends her Saturday mornings in the warehouse's fiction section, estimating the book-buying public's appetite for Philippa Gregory and Dan Brown. "When I was living overseas, circumstances happened that I found myself looking for a place to live. It was short-lived and I've never been truly homeless, but I can't forget the anguish that came with thinking, 'What am I going to do? I've got nowhere to go.' To be able to help an organisation with the resources to address that is why I do this for DCM. "There's also the huge bonus of making connections with people you wouldn't meet in a lifetime of routine days. The people who work here come from all sorts of backgrounds and different stages of life. It's really cute to see the cheeky banter that goes on between a Millennial and a Baby Boomer. It's really delightful to be a part of that." Nelson is busy assessing travel guides (nothing published before 2010 goes on sale). "What I love about the book fair is that everyone's winning," she says. "The people off-loading their books feel they're going to a good place, the people who rock up to the book fair get fantastic bargains, and the people who volunteer get satisfaction from contributing to something. And it's about making connections into the community." Our thanks to Lee-Anne Duncan for this story, published in today's Your Weekend. Feel free get in touch with us at DCM over the coming week if you have any questions about the Bookfair on (04) 384 7699 or events@dcm.org.nz Click Here to Donate Now! <!-- --> Copyright © 2018 DCM, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list
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• • Douglas shares his story - October at DCM

    • 31 Oct 2021
    • Downtown Community Ministry
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} } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnTextContent,.mcnBoxedTextContentColumn{ padding-right:18px !important; padding-left:18px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnImageCardLeftImageContent,.mcnImageCardRightImageContent{ padding-right:18px !important; padding-bottom:0 !important; padding-left:18px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcpreview-image-uploader{ display:none !important; width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h1{ font-size:30px !important; line-height:125% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h2{ font-size:26px !important; line-height:125% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h3{ font-size:20px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h4{ font-size:18px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .mcnTextContent,.mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:14px !important; 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; } } Douglas is a warm-hearted man of Samoan descent who has faced many challenges in his life, struggling to find spaces to belong. Douglas's story 'O LE TAGATA MA LONA AIGA, O LE TAGATA MA LONA FA'ASINOMAGA' 'A person and their family is a person and their identity' - Samoan muagagana (whakatauki) Douglas is a warm-hearted man of Samoan descent who has faced many challenges in his life, struggling to find spaces to belong. From childhood, things have not been easy for him. He was removed from his family at a young age, and as an adult has struggled with addictions, and poor health. He has been able to hold down a tenancy at some times in his life, while at others he has cycled through various forms of homelessness – rough sleeping, couch surfing, emergency accommodation and the Night Shelter. Douglas has connected with many different DCM kaimahi since he first walked through our doors in 2008, in particular our Pasifika and Māori staff. Over the years, he has been supported by a wide range of DCM services. When he was unable to access a bank account and benefit, this gap was filled by DCM’s Money Management Service. DCM has supported him with budgeting and Work and Income advocacy, and with sorting his debts. Douglas has received emergency dental treatment at DCM on several occasions, and has lost count of the number of times DCM has stepped in with food support for him when the money has run out. Douglas has now been housed for some time in Berhampore, with the support of DCM’s Sustaining Tenancies team. But perhaps even more importantly, DCM has been able to support Douglas to rebuild connection with his family, and to connect and find his place in his own community. Photo shoot by Nikki Parlane. “I was born in Wellington and grew up in a Samoan family. My father was the caretaker at Wesley Methodist Church on Taranaki Street. I was the ‘black sheep’ of my family. I didn’t see eye to eye with my father or my brothers due to my sexuality,” Douglas shares, “which isn’t just a Christian thing, it’s also cultural. Growing up, I didn’t feel loved because of who I was. It was hard for them to accept me.” But through it all, Douglas never lost his desire to reconnect with his whānau. This disconnection and sense of rejection had a lasting impact on him, and on his mental health and addictions. As DCM built stronger connections with Douglas, it became clear how very important this reconnection was for Douglas’s wellbeing. Sia To’omaga is DCM’s Practice Lead. Her team delivers DCM’s Sustaining Tenancies and Community Connections programmes. They work with vulnerable tenants in their communities so that they do not fall back into homelessness, and are supported to thrive in their lives. “We have so many connections with Douglas,” says Sia. “Even before he came to DCM back in 2008, he already knew Regina from the Benefit Rights Service, where she used to work. And Douglas and I have a family connection. So when I came to DCM I already knew his whānau. And I knew Douglas was estranged from them, and how much this had affected his life. When his father died, it was a chance for him to reconnect. We made sure he was decked out in new clothes and new shoes and Regina and I took him to the funeral. He had to sit up front. That was a huge moment for Douglas, and the significance of that moment is hard to explain. Mostly it was a time to heal old wounds. Since then Douglas has been trying to make sense of his world. By the time of his brother's funeral, his relationship with his whānau had improved massively.” “I was left out in the dark,” agrees Douglas, “until I lost my parents. Then, my relationship with my brothers started to improve. Finally, when my older brother died, I was able to really connect with my other siblings, and we’ve been a lot closer since.” In Samoan, so'otaga refers to the making of connections, and feso'otaga to the connectivity between people. The past 12 months have brought more challenges for Douglas. The Covid-19 lockdown was hard on him – “There were no positives for me – though I understand it’s better to be safe than sorry. The hardest part for me was being stuck in a bubble. I wanted to reach out to my brothers and nieces, but I couldn’t.” He has also been coping with other health concerns. Recent surgery has made accessibility to his whare a challenge, but with DCM’s support, he is working through that as well. And the past year has brought positives too. Douglas is really enjoying connecting with DCM and his community at his local community centre. Sia and DCM’s Sustaining Tenancies team lead DCM’s community connections programme. When people move into their own homes, we want to spend time with them in their new communities, rather than having them come in to DCM in Lukes Lane. This programme is focused on building strong connections between taumai and their neighbours and other groups close to their homes, so that they can not only sustain their tenancies, but thrive – in their lives and their communities. Douglas rates the Community Connections programme highly. “I think it’s a good move. It’s good for people to see DCM out in the community. A lot of people don’t know what DCM’s about, so it’s great that the staff can catch up with people right where they live. It’s not just those of us who have been supported by DCM for years who can be part of this, but others who are struggling too.” Sophie McKenna is the lead dentist at the DCM Dental Service. Her calm and reassuring manner is a taonga, and she is able to support taumai who have considerable anxiety around dental treatment. At an emergency appointment at DCM this year, Douglas saw dentist Sophie McKenna, who discovered that he had a bad infection which needed urgent treatment. Sophie was then able to catch up with Douglas at DCM’s first mobile dental clinic right in his own community at DCM's Community Connections programme there. She checked on his progress, and explained how a referral for dentures could work to better improve his oral health. Douglas has been following this up and is getting along to the hospital appointments needed to make that happen. He has also been fully vaccinated against Covid at DCM’s vaccination clinics, and is regularly attending counselling sessions. “Mama Dee suggested I keep that going, so I will.” During his life Douglas has done a lot of voluntary work, especially with Pasifika social services where his fluency in both English and Samoan has been an asset. He has to focus on getting his health back on track first, but then he really wants to get involved with peer support at DCM, so that he can support others to build connections. He knows how very important this is. “I’ve had some tough times,” says Douglas, “and DCM has been there to back me up. Thank you to all those I’ve connected with over the years. And especially to Sia, Regina, Stephanie, Alan, Ula and now Mama Dee. Thank you for being there for me.” “The majority of the people who come to DCM are estranged from their families,” says Sia. “When we have the privilege to be part of whānau reunification – at any level – it is such a beautiful thing. We don't take the positions we have here for granted!” Douglas is on a pathway to the life he has wanted for so long, a life in which he has his own place to call home, and regular contact with his family. His is a story about the importance of connections, and about the transformation that can take place in the lives of the most vulnerable when we are able to support them to build and rebuild those connections – with their whānau, with us and with their communities.   <!-- --> In the news... Interview with Stephen This month DCM’s Director Stephen Turnock talked about our mahi with Maggie from Radio Active, DCM’s neighbours in Lukes Lane. Tune in to hear the interview here! COVID vaccination clinics The New Zealand Herald visited DCM to learn more about the COVID vaccination clinics which DCM and Te Aro Health have been running for the most vulnerable people in Wellington. Read all about it here. Saturday 16 October saw DCM kaimahi out encouraging New Zealanders to get vaccinated. Super Saturday And of course also in the news this month has been the Super Saturday Vaxathon. DCM kaimahi headed out on the streets that day to encourage people to take the opportunity to get vaccinated and to point them in the right direction. This is one very important thing we can do to protect the most marginalised in our community, including those who are experiencing homelessness. One of these DCM kaimahi was Bella from the Aro Mai Housing First team. “It was genuinely a fun day,” she tells us. “People were really positive. Most were already double vaxxed but we had quite a few people asking to be pointed in the direction of the vaccination centres – wanting to make the most of the walk in, no booking opportunity. Lots of people who were already vaccinated thanked us for the effort. I got myself vaccinated when DCM first got called up. Being a young, healthy person, I didn't really get vaccinated for myself. Rather I got vaccinated for those who are more vulnerable...my grandparents, taumai, those who are immunocompromised. If me getting vaccinated can play any part in protecting these vulnerable people, then I'm happy to do this. To those who are hesitant, I would suggest that you take the same approach. I understand being worried about the impact it might have on you, but if you can – it really is the selfless decision to protect those more vulnerable than you.” <!-- --> How can I help? Get vaccinated! Here at DCM we are doing everything we can to ensure the Covid vaccine is as accessible for taumai as possible, and you can help protect the most marginalised in our community by getting vaccinated too. It has never been easier. Help us re-stock our Foodbank On the first Saturday of the month, Ngaio Union Church open their doors to receive food to help re-stock DCM's Foodbank shelves. Please bring along any food items you would like to donate on Saturday 6 November to 3 Kenya Street between 10am-12pm. We also have a Foodbank bin at New World Chaffers where you can drop items off anytime. And on the fourth Saturday in November we will be holding our Christmas Foodbank Appeal. Follow our Facebook page for more updates or if you would like to help, please get in touch with Matt. Vouchers for taumai We asked; you delivered! Thanks to all of you who donated vouchers for us to take taumai out to purchase items for their new whare. Sharnia is someone who has had a really tough time, and we're proud to see the progress she has made right up to being housed recently. Bella was able to take her to Briscoes to choose for herself some much needed items for her new home. Sharnia really enjoyed this: “Thank you so much, this is so fun, I’m excited!” We have now used up these vouchers and would love to receive more so that other taumai doing the hard mahi to get housed can also be lifted up in this way. If you can help with this, please drop off vouchers to DCM or visit our website. A heads up... On Tuesday 23 November at 5:30pm we will be holding the DCM Annual General Meeting. This may be able to be held in person, and/or we may need to facilitate this year’s AGM by Zoom. If you would like to attend, please email us and we will be in touch with further details. <!-- --> *We call the people we work with taumai, meaning to settle. This reflects the journey we set out on together – to become settled, stable and well.   Support DCM! Nāku te rourou, nāu te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi With your basket and my basket, the people will thrive <!-- --> Copyright © 2021 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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• • November Update from DCM - Together we can end homelessness

    • 29 Nov 2021
    • 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; 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} } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnTextContent,.mcnBoxedTextContentColumn{ padding-right:18px !important; padding-left:18px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnImageCardLeftImageContent,.mcnImageCardRightImageContent{ padding-right:18px !important; padding-bottom:0 !important; padding-left:18px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcpreview-image-uploader{ display:none !important; width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h1{ font-size:30px !important; line-height:125% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h2{ font-size:26px !important; line-height:125% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h3{ font-size:20px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ h4{ font-size:18px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .mcnTextContent,.mcnBoxedTextContentContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:14px !important; 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; } } Fiona's story Fiona's story My name is Fiona, and I am very proud to be part of the team at DCM. I can’t tell you how much it has meant to me to have this job, and I just love it! But I have always been a worker. I was born in Christchurch in 1962; I was the only girl and grew up with my six brothers. We had to earn our own money because mum and dad were pretty broke. Dad was a slaughter man but it was seasonal work, and my mum was a nurse. We used to go around the streets with home grown veges in a wheelbarrow, my brothers and I. We did raspberry picking on weekends, and I had a paper round. I then went into the shearing sheds, shearing sheep with my brothers. From the age of 15, I was a gang member. Robert Muldoon set up a scheme to help gangs back then, to help them get into work and off the street. I started my apprenticeship to become a chef – it took four years: the first year in the vege room, the second year washing dishes, third year kitchen-hand and in the fourth year I went from third cook, to second to first cook. My gangster career ended when I got a long prison sentence. I made the decision right there and then: I don’t need the gang. I would stand on my own two feet – finally. I used the system to better myself. I joined kapa haka which built my confidence and self-esteem. I put my head down, supported myself in prison by bone carving, and went to all the groups I could think of to sort out my issues. I sat School Cert and academically I grew. But after all those years in jail, when I got out, I realised I still needed to grow emotionally. DCM was there for me when I needed them most. Let me tell you about that. I moved to Wellington 12 years ago where I married my husband. He got cancer and I looked after him for 3 months before he passed away. That led to me abusing alcohol. I moved to a one bedroom flat in Island Bay where I thought I could start over but things went downhill from there. I lost my job, didn’t pay my rent and found myself on the verge of homelessness, and suicide. My power was getting cut off and I was told that I couldn’t go on a benefit for 13 weeks. I heard about this organisation in the city called DCM, so I walked in from Island Bay, asking for help along the way. I believe if I didn’t come down Lukes Lane that day, I would have given up there and then. That’s when my life changed. DCM worked with me to help me get into a new place which I’m still in today. I got on to DCM’s money management programme which helped me pay my rent and bills on time, and debts as well. I’m debt-free today! And I have savings for the first time too. It’s amazing. There are many other great memories of my time as taumai at DCM. The Te Reo classes were very special, and I just loved being part of the DCM Ukes - the rehearsals at Wesley Church, performing at Thanksgiving and other events at DCM. I got a lot out of the self-management for health and wellbeing course I did at DCM too. Yup, DCM supported me when I needed it most, and now I am honoured to be able to support other taumai. I began by volunteering to cook at the DCM Bookfair. On Christmas Day I was part of the team at Te Aro Community Centre feeding the whānau. Then DCM started running peer support courses, and several of the team suggested that I should take part. After the course, I finished off my CV and applied for some of the roles going. I started as a paid support worker – a kaiawhina – at DCM in February 2020, just before the COVID lock-down. During the first lock-down I was working with taumai in emergency housing. We were mainly at the old Night Shelter, doing welfare checks, and other peer support work. Back at DCM, it has just been brilliant. I love the whānau! And especially the equality – being treated the same. I’ve worked all my life but I have never before been in an environment where people are treated as equally as they are at DCM. Peer support can cover a whole lot of tasks. I can be working in Te Hāpai in the mornings, interacting with taumai. I’m there to listen, observe and support. In the afternoons, I may be out with other kaimahi on home visits. We have a lot of taumai who have recently been housed, and we go in to support them. I do the basics – cleaning and showing taumai how to clean. We’ve dealt with hoarders, people who have a lot of challenges, and people who don’t even know how to cook a piece of toast. But generally our taumai take great pride in their whare. They just need the utensils. I ask them what their favourite food is. If it’s scrambled eggs, we make sure they have a frying pan and a whisk, along with some of the basics we take for granted, like a toaster or a microwave. And I love the “Welcome to Your Whare” packs which DCM puts together for people moving in to a home. All those cleaning items are expensive for taumai. Providing them with the basics, and seeing the pride on their faces when they ki te hoe (pick up the paddle), and take care of their own whare, that is a special privilege. I am able to do more and more, to take the initiative. I have a clean driver’s licence, so I can help with driving, shopping, deliveries and home visits. I have finished a Literacy Aotearoa course and am three-quarters of the way through achieving a certificate in health and wellbeing which Paula has been helping me with. I want to do to anything I can to keep developing my skills. Because DCM has given me an amazing opportunity, and I want to grab it with both hands, and to really play my part on this very special team. Most of my work now is with the Aro Mai Housing First team, supporting people who have long histories of homelessness. Photo shoot by Gabrielle McKone. Let me tell you about one man we have housed recently. Patrick* is a long-term rough sleeper who struggles with a critical mental health condition and severe substance abuse, as well as the after-effects of traumatic experiences from his childhood. Now he has his own home – thanks to a local landlord who provided the team with a whare. Twice each week I head out with Patrick’s keyworker to check in on him; we make sure he is doing okay and looking after his whare. To begin with, there was so much about living in a house that he didn’t understand. He didn’t know how to take the washing out of the machine, hold a vacuum cleaner or wipe the benches down. It is the simple stuff that we can show him, and which makes such a difference. Things like what to do with cigarette butts – you don’t drop them on the floor when you have a whare. And we celebrate the small changes – like rather than leaving his dirty clothes scattered all over the floor, he now puts them into his washing basket. Yes, now he is really looking after his home – it looks great. This year I have also been double vaccinated – right here at DCM. It wasn’t easy for me, and it took a while to make the decision. But then we had a vaccine day with Bronwyn from Te Aro Health. I know and trust her and her team, and then I saw taumai who were getting their vaccines and they were so brave. Finally, my fellow kaiawhina Rochelle encouraged me, and we decided to do it together. I am so pleased that we did, because we can now support our taumai, and we know how much they are going to need our support when COVID hits Wellington. Our work will be even more important, and much needed.  Our ultimate goal is to end homelessness and I believe we will get there. We’re all part of the solution. And the work we do here at DCM is a major part of that solution. I am proud and privileged to be part of this team. <!-- --> Jordon Jordon was recently housed thanks to another local landlord who provided a whare, and the support of our Aro Mai Housing First team. This is the first time Jordon has been housed in over a decade. When her keyworker Bella asked her what the best part of having her own whare is, she shared “Having my very own bed - being on the streets is really hard”. We love to be able to lift up taumai like Jordon who have done the hard mahi needed to get housed. Bella was able to take her out shopping thanks to those of you have have donated vouchers. Jordon got herself some items for her bathroom, sheets and two new pillows. “I am excited to be able to put bedding on the spare bed so that I can have family to come stay, hopefully my youngest son... Thank you so much guys, I really appreciate it.” Ka mau te wehi Jordon! <!-- --> Acknowledging David Zwartz At DCM’s AGM this month, we were able to acknowledge the contribution of retiring board member, David Zwartz, who joined the DCM board in 2005. A member of Temple Sinai and a past President of the New Zealand Jewish Council, David has been a passionate advocate for interfaith cooperation. He is proud of the different perspectives which are now involved in DCM’s governance, and hopes that this will continue to widen. Thank you David for all your mahi on behalf of the most marginalised people in our community. <!-- --> Re-stocking our Foodbank Kia ora rawa atu ki a koutou! Thank you to everyone who purchased items for our Foodbank re-stock on Saturday, to New World Chaffers and Wesley Church for providing the venues, and to our lovely team of volunteers who gave up their time to collect the items and sort them. If you weren’t able to get down to the city last weekend, we would love any groceries you are able to drop in to our collection bin at New World Chaffers. And our friends at Ngaio Union Church accept donations for our Foodbank on the first Saturday morning of each month. That means that you can drop some items to them this weekend.  <!-- --> How can I help? As we look ahead to 2022, and a time when COVID will be in our communities and a part of our daily lives, we know that the people DCM supports will be the most impacted. They will need our support more than ever as they experience illness and isolation, many of them without any family support. If you would like to make a donation to DCM this Christmas so that we can continue to provide this level of support to the most vulnerable in the year ahead, please visit our website. If you are, or know, a landlord who would like to speak with us about providing a home for people like Patrick and Jordon, our Director, Stephen Turnock would love to hear from you. Together, and at the most challenging of times, we will continue to do something very special. <!-- --> *Not his real name. We call the people we work with taumai, meaning to settle. This reflects the journey we set out on together – to become settled, stable and well.   Support DCM! Nāku te rourou, nāu te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi With your basket and my basket, the people will thrive <!-- --> Copyright © 2021 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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    Ngaio, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)