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

    • 1 May 2020
    • Downtown Community Ministry
    • 96 April 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; } } 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.
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    Wellington Zoological Gardens, Manchester Street, Melrose, Wellington, Wellington Region, 6021, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
  
  

• • Weekly Wrap-Up (Term 1 – Week 7)

    • 15 Mar 2019
    • Wellington High School
    • Important Dates NOTE: You can access the school calendar on our website: WHS School Calendar 26 March: FRIDAY timetable runs today 29 March: Learning Conversations all day (with rōpū teachers) 12 April: End of Term 1 Important Information Learning Conversations — 29 March 2019 The Learning Conversation takes place between your student, the student’s rōpū teacher and parent(s) / caregiver(s).  Each learning conversation will take 20 minutes at the most. Students will only be at school on Friday 29 March for their learning conversation. Emails have been sent home. Bookings for learning conversations can be made at https://www.schoolinterviews.co.nz/ using code xktku NCEA Internal Assessment calendars online Students and their families can access the NCEA Levels 1—3 assessment calendars via our website.  On the calendars, you can see all the assessment deadline for the year. Go to Students > Calendars and choose the one that applies to you. You can add the appropriate calendar to your own via the Google button at the bottom left.         Measles Outbreak — Advice to schools As you are likely aware, there is a large and ongoing outbreak of measles in Christchurch, with 26 cases as at 14 March. Auckland and Dunedin now also have measles cases. While there are currently no reported cases in the greater Wellington region, people will move around NZ during the school holiday period of 13 – 28 April, which includes Easter (19 April –22 April), and ANZAC Day (25 April), and it is likely measles will spread. Accordingly, attached is an information sheet and FAQs regarding measles for primary, intermediate and secondary schools.  Regional Public Health – www.rph.org.nz Ministry of Health – www.health.govt.nz Immunisation Advisory Centre – www.immune.org.nz What’s happening? Focus on Climate Change At the time of writing, a large number of our students are in town for the Climate Change Strike, part of a global movement of youth protest.  In the build up to this, Wellington High’s Molly Doyle in Year 13, took part in a panel with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, the Green Party’s James Shaw, and student leaders from other schools. You can read more about the event here.             World Vision Youth Conference Stop Press: While many of our students have been out at the Strike4Climate this morning, four students have been representing WHS at the World Vision Youth Conference. Abishkar Palma, Emily Brooke, Liberty McIntyre-Reet, and Jack Davies have been learning and sharing their ideas and vision of how they can be change makers in our community.           Talking Books with Jacinda Ardern Johanna Christ, Alex Buyck, Otis Brown and Em Flux attended a fundraiser for the Katherine Mansfield House and Garden on the evening of Wednesday 13 March to hear Jacinda Ardern talk about her love of books. The Prime Minister shared advice for teenagers, “Know yourself. Know when you are feeling fragile and get off social media. Don’t live life on a screen.” She also talked about the importance of reading saying, “In order to give children the gift of reading, we need to give parents and caregivers the gift of time.” The students came away feeling very lucky to have had the opportunity to attend the event.       Farewell to Chrissy Laing We reluctantly said goodbye to Chrissy Laing on Thursday 14 March after four and a half years of outstanding service as our Gateway coordinator. Chrissy brought enormous positive energy to this important role and she will be greatly missed. Chrissy is embarking on a new journey much closer to home and we wish her well in her new role.       French Club trip to view a French Film Festival  On Thursday members of the French film club, joined with other French students in Wellington to view the view Au Bout des Doigts.       Tongariro Crossing On Monday the GEO223 and ESS223 classes left for the long bus ride up to Tongariro. We journeyed up to the mountains and on Tuesday did the long 19.4km Tongariro Crossing. The 22 students and 3 staff made it over in just under 8 hours, some more adventurous students choosing to run the final 3km downhill. Everyone did a great job an had a great time, and the warm hot pools straight afterward were welcomed by us all. The weather was fantastic – a number of us were sporting pink noses by the afternoon. Thank you to Kerry Parker and Kyle West who accompanied and made it possible to do the Crossing for the first time in many years. Drama Camp Last week Year 13 Drama went on camp to Riversdale in the Wairarapa. The purpose of the camp was to have an extended rehearsal period for two upcoming performance assessments. While they were away students worked on their acting technique for an assessment which finished yesterday, and started drafting self-devised character-based solos for presentation in week 11 (9-11 April).       JustSpeak lunchtime lecture The lunchtime lecture on Friday 8 March was delivered by Tania Sawiki Mead.  Tania is the Director of JustSpeak: a movement of young people who are speaking up and speaking out about criminal justice, aspiring for a thriving Aotearoa. JustSpeak develops  youth-led tools, resources, spaces and support to facilitate public conversation on criminal justice informed by evidence and experience. Thank you to the Library for hosting another fascinating talk, and to Kathryn Hutchinson  for organizing the lecture and visit.       Achievements Talented footballer and former WHS student featured in Sunday Star Times The Sunday Star Times on 10 March featured the story of former WHS student, Athman Othman. Athman is remembered by many of his teachers for his sporting talent and we were glad to read of his success on the field playing for Tasman United. Read the full article here. NZYPT – New Zealand Young Physicists’ Tournament take silver On the 9th March, two teams of WHS physicists competed in the Wellington regional heat of the 14th New Zealand Young Physicists’ Tournament (NZYPT). Held at Victoria University, the teams took part in science fights defending their research into seven pre-determined problems, and challenging that of their opponents. The team of Millie Rea, Sophie Mance and Khalid Adam are to be congratulated for finishing second. They will head to Auckland next weekend to take part in the national finals.       Sport Futsal We have had another busy week sport wise.  On Wednesday 13 March we had a Junior Boys and Senior Boys team compete in the College Sport Wellington Futsal Competition held at the ASB Sport Centre in Kilbirnie.  The teams had a great day with some very close results. Big thanks goes to Mr Junca for coaching the boys. Junior vs St Patrick Town, 6-3 lost vs Hutt International, 4-2 lost (draw until last 3 minutes!) vs Hutt Valley High, 8-3 win vs Scots College, 4 all draw (excellent game!!!) vs Tawa College, 6-1 win Senior: vs Wellington College, 7 nil lost vs Aotea College, 2 all draw vs Hutt International, 7-3 lost vs St Patrick Town, 3-2 win vs Onslow College, 3 nil lost Regional Athletics On Thursday 14 March a team of six from Wellington High School competed in the College Sport Wellington Regional Athletics meet at Newtown Park. Competing were: Fynn Hutson Senior Boys High Jump Thomas Woodward Senior Boys 100m and 200m Liberty McIntyre-Reet Senior Girls 800m Tiopira Mulholland Intermediate Boys High Jump Ari Koed-Chang Intermediate Boys Long Jump Frankie Coup Junior Girls Javelin All athletes participated extremely well.  Thomas reached the final of Senior Boys 100m and Frankie  won the Junior Girls Javelin with a throw of 24.97m (which beats our school record). Netball Reminder: Junior and Senior Netball Trials take place on Saturday 16 March (tomorrow) and Saturday 23 March here at school in the Tindall Gym. Juniors 9.00-11.30am Seniors 1.00-3.30pm Players must bring the correct shoes and a drink bottle.  If you cannot make both trial dates please let Ms McIntyre (Sports Office) know. Football Trials for all Junior Boys wishing to compete in the Junior Boys Football team take place on Tuesday 19 March from 3.30-5.00pm. Players must bring their football boots and correct clothing for the trials.  Also on Tuesday 19th March, trials for Senior students (Year 11-13) wanting to compete in the 2nd and 3rd XI Football teams, should meet at Wakefield Park, Adelaide Road, Berhampore, from 3.45-5.00pm. They will need their football boots and correct clothing for the trials.  Upcoming Sporting Events Summer Tournament week is quickly approaching!  From 25-31 March, we have the following teams away competing in the NZ Secondary Schools National Sporting Events. Floorball – ASB Sports Centre 30-31 March Ultimate Frisbee – Owen Delaney Park in Taupo 25-26 March Wake Ama –  Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lakes) Rotorua 25-29 March Futsal (Senior and Junior Boys only)- ASB Sports Centre 27-29 March Mountain Biking – Waiu Trail Park, Wainuiomata 30-31 March Sports Exchange For the 2nd year running we have our Sports Exchange with Newlands College.  This year Wellington High School are hosting the exchange and we are looking forward to yet another great battle on the sports field.  The following team will be competing: Badminton – Boys and Girls Basketball – Boys and Girls Hockey – Boys Football – Boys and Girls Netball – Girls  
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    Wellington High School, Taranaki Street, Mount Cook, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
  
  

• • Weekly Wrap-Up (Term 1 – Week 5)

    • 1 Mar 2019
    • Wellington High School
    • Important Dates NOTE: You can access the school calendar on our website: WHS School Calendar 4-6 March: 9Royal Noho Marae 6-8 March:  9Howell Noho Marae 26 March: FRIDAY timetable runs today 29 March: Learning Conversations all day (with rōpū teachers) 12 April: End of Term 1 Message from the Principal I hope your young person is settled into their classes and school routine and that they are setting themselves up for success this year. Our Year 9 cohort is the largest in many years with the roll nearing 1300 for the first time since I joined WHS. It is fantastic to see the community embracing coeducation at secondary level. Your increased support is an endorsement that a school should be a reflection of the society we live in. The increased roll places some pressures on us all, not least with some larger junior classes, and it is satisfying to see students settled well into the new academic year. At the start of the year, we acquaint/reacquaint ourselves with WHS’s cornerstone priorities based around the māori word WERO. WERO means ‘challenge’. Its letters represent our core strategic priorities. W is for Whānau. Education is a partnership between the school and family. We have the greatest success when we are all working together. When we speak of whānau we mean this in the broadest community sense: we are looking after all of our students to ensure everyone is given a fair, even chance of success and that no one is left behind. E represents Excellence. Excellence is not confined to academic achievement but represents everyone giving their best and achieving to their own personal level of excellence. Excellence is not confined to academic areas and includes sporting, cultural, social and personal excellence. R is for Respect. Respectful relationships should be at the core of everything we do and want our young people to acquire. R can also represent relational teaching practice and how this shows the importance of good relationships. And R can represent restorative practice because when things go wrong it is important to try and repair harm that may have been caused. O stands for Ora representing physical and emotional wellbeing. We all need quality of life and we need to actively take steps to look after ourselves and others. When I think of Ora I think of the airline safety videos that talk about looking after ourselves first before helping others when the oxygen mask drops down from overhead. It is the same with Ora. We need to look after our own wellbeing to be in a position to look after others. On 14 February our WERO leaders and DP Megan Southwell, ran ‘Aroha Day’: an opportunity for students to find out about sporting and cultural activities and sign up to something that interested them. It was great to see students signing up for so many opportunities enthusiastically. I hope that these initial commitments turn into enjoyable and rewarding experiences throughout the year. As you read this, our students will have just be finishing competing in our annual Athletics Day. I hope this provides a positive fun day for all of those who compete and helps to engender a stronger sense of pride in our great school. You will be able to read about the event in next week’s Wrap Up. On Friday 29 March we will run our first learning conversations for the year. The emphasis will be on how students can gain the requisite learning competencies to build success. These key competencies are an important part of our NZ curriculum and are: thinking; using language, symbols and text; managing self; relating to others; and participating and contributing. They all contribute to how a student prepares for and engages in learning. Through the media you may have heard that a student strike in support of a worldwide day of action over global warming is planned for Friday 15 March. Some of our students have expressed an interest in attending and publicity material has been circulating at school and online. The action is a global initiative expected to bring thousands of students onto the streets worldwide. In Wellington students will be meeting in Civic Square at 10am and marching to Parliament. We anticipate that students who participate will be out of school for the day. If your young person wants to support this action please notify us as soon as possible. Although the school supports students who wish to use this day to take this action, we do not support those that may use this issue as an excuse for a day off with no intention of being involved in the positive action being planned. Ngā mihi nui Dominic Killalea Important Information Thank you to the WF Anderson Educational Foundation Wellington High School has received a grant of $5000 from the WF Anderson Educational Foundation. This money will be used to assist students in financial need. We are deeply appreciative of the Foundation’s support. Board Elections  | A message from the Wellington High School Board of Trustees 2019 is an election year for school trustees.  We understand that asking people to put their hand up and stand for election is difficult, especially if parents aren’t really clear on what the role entails! Find out about becoming a trustee New Zealand School Trustees Association are offering a new programme, Kōrari, which is designed to recognise the experience of existing trustees and help to encourage potential new trustees to come and find out what it really means to serve on a school board. People who want to understand what school governance looks like can come along and find out more. A hui will be facilitated by a regional adviser from NZSTA who will talk about the reality of being a trustee, the support and training that is available and encourage existing trustees to tell their story. The Hui will be held at Wellington High School on Monday 1st April at 6pm. NZSTA will provided refreshments. If you are interested in becoming a school trustee we encourage you to come along. Please RSVP using this link if you ARE attending: https://goo.gl/forms/MBa8fFYExKC1N7YS2 What’s happening? The first Capital City Kāhui Ako Super Hui! On Monday this week, teachers from our Kāhui Ako/Community of Learning schools gathered together for the first time. Wellington High is part of a Ministry-funded collective with seven of its feeder schools (SWIS, Brooklyn School, Owhiro Bay, Island Bay, Newtown Primary, Houghton Valley, and Ridgway School). We are committed to working closely together around challenges related to wellbeing, cultural identity and capabilities for lifelong learning. The staff met, talked and shared their first thoughts about the direction and potential outcomes of our collective. It was great for staff to begin to ‘reach across’ to connect with colleagues in other local schools. The next step is to complete and submit our action plan to the Ministry of Education for approval.   John Minto visits WHS As part of the Thursday Library lunchtime lecture series for 2019, John Minto spoke to a group of WHS staff and students on Thursday. For the past 72 days the veteran activist has been walking the length of the North Island, partly to fulfil a personal ambition but also to advocate for Human Rights equality for Palestinians in Israel. John spoke thoughtfully, starting with the aims of his Te Araroa walk and gave the floor to students and staff to ask questions and extend their own understanding about activism, issues in the Middle East and his own actions during the SpringBok Tour. In a session that looked at both sides of the debate, John responded to the audience’s desire to better understand the complex and politically divisive struggles between Israel and Palestine.   Earth and Space Science students visit Island Bay Earth and Space Science NCEA level 2 students enjoyed a beautiful afternoon carrying out field work at Island Bay and Princess Bay. They practised sketching, photographing and observing the rock formations. Students learned how the rocks were formed as layers of sand 200 million years ago which became buried under an ocean that was maybe 2 km deep. Within the sedimentary rock a volcano left a layer of basalt that is now visible just east of the Bait shed as purple/red rock.  At Princess Bay there are traces of the sea creatures that lived on the ocean floor.   Overseas exchange scholarship information evening Is your student interested in spending a semester overseas? Student Exchange will be running an information session at Victoria University to provide further details.  FREE STUDENT EXCHANGE INFORMATION EVENING IN WELLINGTON Hear from returned students, find out more about discounts and scholarships available and ask questions. Thursday, 7th March – 7.00pm Victoria University of Wellington, Pipitea Campus Room GBG04, Old Government Buildings 23 Lambton Quay PIPITEA Visit www.studentexchange.org.nz or call 0800 440 077  for more information. Achievements WHS students Eli Martin (Year 11) and John Shea (Year 12) took place in the first round of NZOI (New Zealand Olympiad in Informatics) last weekend. 70 students, of all ages, and from across the country took part. Congratulations to Eli, who placed 18th, and John, who placed 11th.  
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    Wellington High School, Taranaki Street, Mount Cook, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
  
  

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

    • 29 Mar 2019
    • Downtown Community Ministry
    • 96 March 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; } } Kia tau te manaakitanga "We have a saying that we use at DCM - kia tau te manaakitanga. May be all be cared for...let us all be well." This month, headlines and thoughts have been focused on Christchurch and on our Muslim brothers and sisters. One week later, we stood outside at DCM with people who are rough sleeping in our city for two minutes silence at 1.32pm; we then sang the Lord's Prayer in Te Reo Māori before walking in to our afternoon foodbank session together. Our Prime Minister's words - "We can, and we will, surround you with aroha, manaakitanga and all that makes us, us" - echo our commitment to people who are experiencing homelessness, and remind us of the many Wellingtonians who support our work and our taumai, in so many different ways. Today, two weeks after that tragic afternoon in Christchurch, we were able to lift up our taumai at our ngahuru (autumn) seasonal kai, a very special meal prepared for them by Māori chef Rex Morgan from the Boulcott Street Bistro. You may have seen the article in yesterday's newspaper about the part seasonal kai plays in our calendar - you can read it again on Stuff. <!-- --> If only I could hear! March is Hearing Awareness Month – and we couldn't think of a better time to acknowledge our audiologist Lisa Seerup and the voluntary work she is doing with people here at DCM who are experiencing both homelessness and hearing loss. Our taumai live with a range of physical health problems which make life even more challenging for them. Hearing impairment is one area of high unmet need for many of our people - people who are experiencing homelessness. It is amazing that we are able to offer regular sessions with an audiologist here at DCM. This month, one man who had come in to talk about becoming housed was clearly struggling to hear us. We were able to get him straight in to see Lisa, who was running a session that day. This man will now receive hearing aids; he is so thrilled to learn that something can be done to improve his life in this way. <!-- --> Want to help us fill our Foodbank shelves? Another kaitautoko we lifted up this month was New World, who have a food donation bin for DCM in their lobby at Chaffers Park. All the food in our foodbank is donated by the people of Wellington, primarily through this donation bin, which is a real lifeline to help keep our stock levels up. We encourage you to drop off any items you can donate there seven days a week. These are the items we're particularly short of at the moment: Soup and ready meals Pasta sauces Tinned tomatoes Milk powder and sugar Disposable razors and washing powder <!-- --> What can I do? Give our taumai a gift in our 50th birthday year. DCM's Te Hāpai service is a welcoming space for people who are rough sleeping. We are looking for a coffee filter sponsor ($30 a month), sugar sponsor ($50 a month) and a milk powder sponsor ($120 a month). For more ideas about how you can help, visit our website and Support DCM Do you know others who would love to learn more about DCM and our work with people who are experiencing homelessness? Encourage them to join our mailing list for monthly updates during our 50th birthday year. <!-- --> 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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• • August Update from DCM - Together we can end homelessness

    • 30 Aug 2021
    • Downtown Community Ministry
    • 96 August 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; } } "I chose to get vaccinated because..." Working together to protect taumai DCM and Te Aro Health Centre (TAHC) have a long history of working together to support the most marginalised people in our city. TAHC operates a satellite outreach clinic at DCM three mornings a week. Over the past month, a key joint focus has been on ensuring that these vulnerable people are protected against COVID-19. The importance of this was brought into even sharper focus when our second vaccine clinic at DCM had to be postponed due to New Zealand entering another Level 4 lockdown. But as has always been the case at DCM, we found a way to make this work – and were able to continue to vaccinate those who need it most at a second vaccine day during lockdown. Here DCM’s Director, Stephen Turnock, and TAHC Nurse Practitioner/Clinic Lead, Bronwyn Boele van Hensbroek-Miller, talk about their shared commitment to the people who DCM calls taumai*. Before our first DCM vaccine day, we had lots of kōrero with taumai, ensuring they had the information they needed and that all their questions were answered. Here Bronwyn and Stephen lead a COVID vaccine information session at DCM. Stephen: Here at DCM this month, we have been reflecting on human rights – the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person. As a nation, we have signed up to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, yet so many of the people DCM supports do not have access to these basic rights. Article 25 states that everyone has 'the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and wellbeing of himself and his family' – including medical care. Our partnership with Te Aro Health Centre (TAHC) is key to providing this care for the people who come through our doors. Bronwyn: Yes, at Te Aro Health, we believe that everyone has a right to maintain good health and to have access to high quality health services. We work to assist those in Wellington’s inner city, with low or no income, and with other barriers to accessing healthcare, to achieve and maintain good health. Our priority is to enrol those who are homeless, those with a history of drug and alcohol abuse and those who have a mental illness. It was a very different world when the first vaccine clinic was held at DCM pre-lockdown. Stephen: Having TAHC and a team of vaccinators offer the COVID-19 vaccine here at DCM has been great for taumai – for them, it's all about accessibility. Having the vaccine available at DCM where they feel comfortable, among people they trust, has been an important factor. Last year, during our first lockdown, Bronwyn and her team went out alongside DCM kaimahi to connect with taumai in emergency housing, offering flu shots and health support. Every week, they are here at DCM, seeing taumai and addressing any health needs they may have: from long-term health issues through to injuries, rapid testing and treatment for hepatitis, and of course their mental health needs. And when we were again not able to open at DCM in Lukes Lane during this month’s Level 4 lockdown, TAHC continued to offer their support including COVID tests from their own health rooms nearby. In the weeks preceding our vaccine days at DCM, we have spoken with taumai, answered their questions and heard them share their own reasons for getting vaccinated. For our first vaccine day, we offered transport to DCM for those who needed it, so that they could receive their vaccine. We provided kai, community and waiata to taumai as they waited with us for 20 minutes after their vaccine. And after this time, we cheered for each person as they left, thanking them for the part they have played in keeping themselves, their whānau and all of us – their community – safe. Bronwyn: And then when we found ourselves in another lockdown, we worked together to find a way to continue vaccinating safely. TAHC enormously values the collaboration we have with DCM so it was great that last week we were again able to offer vaccines at DCM under Level 4 – masked up and safely spaced – enabling dozens of taumai to receive their first dose, and many their second. Rough sleepers who have been very reluctant to be vaccinated came forward and showed such courage. They are doing their part, just as so many other New Zealanders are. Yes, this is just one more example of how we can support the health and wellbeing of the most vulnerable people in our community when we all work together. Last week, taumai were able to safely access a COVID vaccine at DCM under Level 4 thanks to Bronwyn and her team. 24 received their second doses, while 56 received their first. At this challenging time, DCM was also able to support them in other ways. One very vulnerable man received his vaccine, and then we were able to arrange emergency housing for him. <!-- --> "I chose to get vaccinated because..." Our director Stephen led the way and was the first member of team DCM to get vaccinated. "I chose to get vaccinated to not only protect myself and my whānau but also to protect my community and those I interact with on a daily basis. As a middle-aged Māori, I also recognise that we have an increased risk of infection, hospitalisation and death. Therefore if my choice to be vaccinated results in more health resources available for others in need...Tu meke!!!" Some of our kaimahi received their vaccine at DCM – to inspire taumai to get their vaccine too. Delena (Mama Dee) is a member of team DCM who heads out to community centres as part of DCM’s community connections mahi: “I chose to get vaccinated in order to become a safer member of my community – I did it for my whānau, my colleagues at DCM, and the wider community.” Fiona is one of DCM's kaiawhina (peer support workers). She received her vaccine here at DCM alongside taumai. "I chose to be vaccinated because I care about our whānau – both those we support here in this special community which is DCM, and my whānau down south. It was in the back of my mind for a while, but being able to get the vaccine here at DCM – well, it was a no-brainer." Manu was the first of many taumai to receive the COVID vaccine at DCM. "Why did I choose to get vaccinated? I have been coming to DCM for 16 years. It takes 10 years to get to know me! But now I feel comfortable here because I know you all, and you know me. And I was reminded of a verse – 'Evening passed and morning came'. We have all been through some tough times, but now there is something we can do for ourselves and for others." Nicole was also one of the first to line up for a vaccine at DCM. "I chose to get vaccinated because I'm pregnant and I want to protect my baby." Some taumai shared beautiful reflections with us. One man told us: "I know that my ancestors have got my back. I just imagined, 'what if I got COVID and took it back to my marae?' I couldn't face my ancestors... So I looked up to the sky and thought, 'we got this'." <!-- --> Supporting the most marginalised during lockdown DCM kaimahi have been working in designated pair "bubbles", to keep everyone safe. Here George and Jay are all loaded up and ready to hit the road, delivering much needed food support to taumai. At alert Level 4, we have not been able to invite taumai to spend time with us here at DCM, or to meet with them out in the community centres near to their homes when they are housed. However as always, DCM has remained committed to supporting the most marginalised in many different ways. Taumai can get hold of us on a dedicated 0800 number and phones are again available for those who need them. The Outreach team has been heading out on the streets to connect with rough sleepers, while the Aro Mai Housing First and Sustaining Tenancies teams continue to provide a wide range of services to taumai throughout the Wellington region, ensuring they are well connected and supported during this difficult time. Food has been dropped on the doorstep for those who need it most, and emergency housing arranged for those without shelter. Our teams have also been calling taumai to check in with them and see how they are doing. Taumai often tell us that it is this contact and kōrero that they value most; lockdown is a very lonely time for many. If you would like to make a donation to support DCM’s work at this challenging time, go to our website – together, we are doing something very special. Te Riria works from home receiving calls from taumai on our 0800 number (left); taumai like Mahir have been able to receive food support, dropped off on their doorstep by DCM kaimahi (right). <!-- --> *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.
    • Accepted from DCM alerts archive 46 months ago by feedreader
    • Tagged as:
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• • Ngā Kōrero – Latest Stories from DCM

    • 22 Apr 2025
    • Downtown Community Ministry
    • Ngā Kōrero – Latest Stories from DCM Ngā Kōrero – Latest Stories from DCM communities where whānau are housed, connected, valued and thriving About Us Contact A Message From Our Manahautū He Rā Ka Huri: Seasons Change, Our Purpose Remains Stephen Turnock, Manahautū (Director) at DCM Tēnā koutou katoa, As the seasons shift once again, I find myself reflecting on just how much change we’ve witnessed lately, not only in the weather, but across our communities, sector, and Aotearoa. Like the turn from summer to autumn, some changes are expected, while others arrive quickly, bringing with them a sense of uncertainty. This changing environment is being felt deeply across the community sector. Policy directions are shifting, funding decisions are pending. Many of us are operating in a space where the future feels less certain than before. At DCM, this has real impacts. The security of our contracts, the continuity of our mahi, and the wellbeing of our kaimahi (staff) are all front of mind. And it's not just our sector, every day we see how these pressures are being experienced by whānau across Te-Whanganui-a-Tara: the cost of living, the struggle to find and keep a safe place to live, and the weight of navigating systems that often don’t work for them. Change is constant, but for many, it doesn’t always feel like it’s moving in the right direction. In the face of this, we ground ourselves in what remains constant. Our commitment to whānau-led support, our belief in housing as a human right, and our dedication to walking alongside those doing it tough. No matter the season, our purpose stays the same. And we want you to know, we have a plan. Even in a time of shifting sands, we’re clear on our direction. We’re committed to building on what works, data-informed insights, whanau-centred practice and courageous leadership. And we know we can’t do this alone. It’s through community collaboration, with whānau, with partners, and with people like you, that real solutions are found and created. So as the leaves begin to fall and we prepare for the colder months ahead, we do so with determination, with hope, and with deep gratitude for your continued support. You are part of this journey, and together, we will keep working towards a city where everyone has a place to stand. Ngā manaakitanga, Stephen Turnock Finding An Oasis At DCM I was homeless and running around the country before I came to Wellington. I was drinking heavily. I was an alcoholic. My mental health issues hadn’t been diagnosed, so I was unmedicated and pretty messy. Before that I was in Christchurch. I got made redundant, and then I had nothing to do. I started drinking, getting into hard drugs, getting in trouble. I made a lot of people mad and I had to leave. I just wanted to hide somewhere and drink. That was my plan. It’s crazy I kept drinking even when I was that sick. I knew I was sick, but the need for alcohol was stronger than any concern I had for my own safety. I was housed out in the Hutt maybe six or seven years ago, not by DCM but someone else. They put me there to get me out of Wellington, away from the drinking. But I still drank sometimes. Then I got told my liver couldn’t take it anymore. They said it was no good. That changed everything. I had to stop drinking, and that changed my life completely. I couldn’t fill the voids with alcohol anymore. I had to deal with stuff. Face my demons. And it was too much, really. I ended up needing medication. There was nothing like DCM out in the Hutt then. I came back into town because there’s more here, and DCM is a hub that has everything I need. I’ve been coming here every day, every week, for as long as I’ve been back in Wellington. DCM has supported me in all sorts of ways. I come here for coffee, for health, for dental, and they make sure I get to my appointments. Te Aro Health and the nurse let me know if the doctors want to see me. It’s amazing that everything is just here. And yeah, I get food from DCM. It’s good to know it comes from people I know, not some stranger. It keeps it in the whānau, you know? I don’t eat much. Once a day is usually enough to keep me going. I used to be a good cook, but I’ve lost all interest in it. Cooking for one is boring. Food is just something I put in myself now. The DCM staff are even trying to get more fruits and vegetables into me. I’ll eat it if it’s put in front of me, but I won’t cook it. I’m eating like an old man now. DCM hasn’t given up on people, not like other places have. That’s what surprised me. DCM is an oasis and people rely on this place. If they weren’t here, there’d be nothing for us. We’d be eating out of rubbish bins. "DCM is absolutely brilliant because it’s saving people in Wellington. It’s keeping people alive. Without this service, people would be lost. They’d just be lost." These days, I guess, I’m mostly just working out what life looks like until I die. That’s what concerns me now. My health isn’t great. I don’t know how long I’ve got, but I’m trying to be all right until then. If you’re struggling, don’t stop yourself. Get to DCM. If they see the need, they’ll help. I fully recommend it to anyone in Wellington who needs support. Spotlight on Lynda: Fundraising For Hope Lynda McGregor, owner of Little Bread Loaf, wears many hats. She runs a small artisan bakery in Lower Hutt where everything is made from scratch, a busy café in Miramar, works in fresh produce markets, and does catering too. Yet despite her full plate (pun intended), Lynda makes time to support DCM. Her connection with DCM began when she saw one of our Instagram posts calling for donations. “It really moved me,” she says. “I just thought, we can all do something to help our community. It’s not about pity, it’s about showing up and helping.” Lynda shared the post, a conversation followed, then a tour, and she soon found herself organising her first foodbank collection for DCM at Little Bread Loaf where she and her community raised over 200 cans of food. “I’ve always known about DCM and the work you do. I know you don’t get as much funding as the bigger charities, and I felt I could add value here in a way that would make a real impact.” Supporting DCM wasn’t a random choice. It aligned with Lynda’s values. “My mum always tithed. She gave a portion of what she had or her time to help others. I’ve always tried to do that too. I’m not religious, but giving back is a part of who I am.” She’s also realistic. “In the charity sector, it’s often the causes that are more ‘attractive’ that get attention". But DCM, she says, offers something deeper. “I truly believe that nobody wakes up wanting to be on the street. DCM works with some of the most vulnerable people in Wellington and you stay constant, even when others would walk away. The whānau you support can keep coming back for coffee, a chat, or whatever they need and you are always there for them.” For Lynda, donating food is not about charity. It’s about manaakitanga. “If the food isn’t good enough for me to eat, I won’t bring it in. What I give has to be mana enhancing; for DCM, for me as the maker, and for anyone who receives it. I want people to feel dignity when they receive something from me.” She adds that contributing makes her feel good too. “It feeds my soul. I do this for selfish reasons because it makes me happy and brings me joy.” Lynda has seen the challenges facing our communities and the pressure DCM is under. “It makes me sad to see the foodbank shelves so bare. You’re doing incredible work, and so much of it comes from heart. You can tell that your team is here because they genuinely want to be of service.” She believes anyone can make a difference and her hope is that more people and businesses will step up.. “You don’t have to give a lot. A couple of cans, a few dollars, whatever you can manage. That small act might have a huge impact on someone’s day." She adds, "It’s not about changing someone’s whole life. It’s about easing their path just a little. It’s about giving someone a little hope.” We are so thankful to Lynda, and our other wonderful supporters, for standing with us. DCM is proud to work alongside people who care so deeply about making Wellington a city where everybody has a place. This year, we are running a Foodbank Appeal Week from 17 to 24 May, and we are inviting the community to help us to continue to provide essential food support to Wellington’s most marginalised residents. There are many ways you can get involved. You could host a food donation box at your workplace, school, or church, run a fundraiser for DCM, or, if you would like to support us financially, you can do so by clicking the button below. Support DCM Copyright © 2025 DCM. All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: DCM Wellington, 2 Lukes Lane, Te Aro, Wellington Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
    • Accepted from DCM alerts archive 2 months ago by feedreader
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    • lower-hutt

    Lower Hutt, Lower Hutt City, Wellington, 5010, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
  
  

• • December Update from DCM - together we can end homelessness

    • 30 Dec 2019
    • Downtown Community Ministry
    • 96 December 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; } } December Update from DCM - together we can end homelessness A gift from our taumai to you We come to the end of a season when many of us have been able to enjoy time with our families and friends, and have given and received gifts. Tuku atu, tuku mai - the spirit and practice of generosity and reciprocity - is very important to us here at DCM. Being able to give as well as receive enhances the mana of all of us. Over this Christmas period, many of you have generously provided gifts for our taumai – people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. And so now it is time for us to offer YOU a gift. One of the gifts our taumai can share is the gift of their stories, the stories of what success looks like, of the life-changing work that is possible thanks to your support and our shared commitment to ending homelessness. Wayne's view It’s a stunner of a view from Wayne’s 10th floor whare. He can gaze out across Te Aro to Wellington Harbour and Mt Victoria. It’s almost the perfect reverse of his view during the winter of 2018. That was from the slopes of Mt Victoria, from a tent hidden in the bush.   Read Wayne's story here. Enjoy, reflect, and know that your support has made this all possible. <!-- --> 250 dental sessions This month, we ran our 250th dental session here at DCM. What a phenomenal gift to the most marginalised people in our city this service is. "I've been putting up with sore front teeth for eight years and recently haven’t been able to eat properly. Within an hour of walking in to DCM, all of my problem teeth had been extracted. The dentist was kind, polite and thorough and I’m just so happy with the result. The alternative would have been to keep putting up with the pain for another eight years." (Simon) "I came in to DCM to talk about housing, and heard about the DCM dental service. I haven’t seen a dentist since I was a child – I extract my own teeth whenever they become too painful. Wow, I just feel so good after seeing the dentist here." (Robert) Bill ended up in the Night Shelter after family problems compounded by his meth addiction saw him sleeping at a reserve. He came to DCM after he heard from other taumai about the hospitality available here. Like all taumai who come to DCM Bill was asked if he needed a dental appointment - and now off meth he had started to notice that he was experiencing severe dental pain. Bill was able to be treated and though he has a long road ahead on his journey to wellbeing, he is now free from the worst pain caused by 20+ years of addiction. We have a lengthy waiting list for dental appointments, and urgently need more dentists and dental assistants to become part of our amazing team. Please ask your own dentist if they volunteer at DCM – if they do, lift them up for the very practical way in which they are part of the solution to homelessness. If they don’t, encourage them to get in touch. <!-- --> Together we can end homelessness - at Christmas and in the New Year At this time of year, we are reminded every day of the kindness and commitment of the people of Wellington to our taumai and our mahi. If you follow us on Facebook, you will have seen some of our stories about the range of people and organisations who have brought in food, gifts, baking, donations, their time and their skills. From our friends at Live Wires who paid for all the items we need to prepare 200 Christmas hampers for taumai, to those of you who offered to buy us something we really need and can enjoy together (yes, we were able to purchase an entire new set of chairs for everyone who spends time at Te Hāpai!), to the people of Ngaio Union Church who bought gifts for taumai spending their first Christmas in their new home, to the many locals and workplaces who brought in supplies for our foodbank, to the Nota Bene concert at Prefab...the list goes on and on. As we move into a new year, you may like to reflect on new ways you can become involved in 2020 – here is some food for thought. Thank you, Wellington, for the many practical ways in which you are part of the solution to homelessness. Ngā mihi o te Tau Hou. <!-- --> 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.
    • Accepted from DCM alerts archive 66 months ago by tonytw1
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    Ngaio, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
  
  

• • January Update from DCM - together we can end homelessness

    • 31 Jan 2021
    • Downtown Community Ministry
    • 96 January 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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font-size:12px; line-height:150%; text-align:center; } .footerContainer .mcnTextContent a,.footerContainer .mcnTextContent p a{ color:#FFFFFF; font-weight:normal; text-decoration:underline; } @media only screen and (min-width:768px){ .templateContainer{ width:600px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ body,table,td,p,a,li,blockquote{ -webkit-text-size-adjust:none !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ body{ width:100% !important; min-width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnRetinaImage{ max-width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnImage{ width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnCartContainer,.mcnCaptionTopContent,.mcnRecContentContainer,.mcnCaptionBottomContent,.mcnTextContentContainer,.mcnBoxedTextContentContainer,.mcnImageGroupContentContainer,.mcnCaptionLeftTextContentContainer,.mcnCaptionRightTextContentContainer,.mcnCaptionLeftImageContentContainer,.mcnCaptionRightImageContentContainer,.mcnImageCardLeftTextContentContainer,.mcnImageCardRightTextContentContainer,.mcnImageCardLeftImageContentContainer,.mcnImageCardRightImageContentContainer{ max-width:100% !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; } } Welcoming a New Year and introducing our new director Introducing our new Director Ngā mihi o te tau hou ki a koutou katoa. The new year also marks a new beginning for DCM; it is our great pleasure to introduce our new Director, Stephen Turnock. Of Ngāi Tahu descent, Stephen brings 20 years of experience in the social service sector, working at both government and community organisations. In his most recent role as General Manager – Operations of the Porirua Whānau Centre (one of six Family Social Service Centres in New Zealand), Stephen oversaw a team of social workers, counsellors, a youth team and a family violence prevention group. In addition, he managed the social housing portfolio, providing sustainable housing for whānau in the Porirua region. Having led projects such as the Whānau Ora Education Initiative and the Porirua Tiaki Tangata Violence Prevention Collective, Stephen has also successfully cultivated numerous partnerships with local iwi, community service providers and public sector organisations. Ko Takitimu tōku waka Ko Waihao tāku awa Ko Kāti Māmoe tāku hapū Nō Ōtautahi ahau Ko Waiho tāku marae Ko Kāi Tahu tāku iwi  Ko Stephen tāku ingoa. “Throughout my career I have strongly believed in the concept of mana motuhake - for whānau to thrive, they need to be supported towards resilience, self-determination and control over their own future. This is one of the things which attracted me to DCM, an organisation which shares this value and is committed to ensuring that the most vulnerable people in our communities gain access to housing and the wider supports that enable them to thrive, and to achieve the goals they have for their own lives. I’m very excited and honoured to be leading an organisation that is passionately supporting the most marginalised people in our communities, whilst also advocating for the resources and supports needed for them to thrive. In my first weeks here, I have taken the opportunity to sit back, observe and build an understanding of what DCM does and why this organisation has been so successful. I want to build on the awesome mahi which has gone on here before me. I also look forward to working closely with the wide range of partners and supporters who form part of the 'together' in our tag-line – 'together we can end homelessness'.” <!-- --> Connecting and being lifted up over the holiday period Over recent weeks, many of us have taken a break and enjoyed some lovely days out – while on holiday elsewhere in Aotearoa, or here in our own city. Our taumai don’t often get an opportunity to head away “on holiday”, but we have been keen to lift them up in other ways at this time. Thank you to all those of you who provided some money so that taumai could enjoy a day out over the summer. Here we share some photos from last week when we were able to treat a group of men to an outing to Strike bowling alley, followed by a Turkish lunch together in Petone. The men loved getting out and meeting new people, and for some, it was their first time bowling. Taumai and kaimahi alike agreed that it had been an “amazing” day and a great way to start a new year. Over the holiday period, our kaimahi shared their favourite moments of 2020 and their hopes for our taumai for 2021 via our Facebook page. You can enjoy reading them again - or for the first time, by visiting DCM’s Facebook page here. <!-- --> New year, new look, new hope Last year we shared with you Joanne’s story, and reflected on the role which kaiawhina – people with lived experience of homelessness – can play on team DCM. Recently three of our kaiawhina were lifted up by a styling session at Dress for Success, one of many organisations with a kaupapa that totally meshes with DCM’s. Their vision is of a world where women do not live in poverty, and are treated with dignity and respect. We hear from Fiona – “It was the first time ever that I have had someone dress me. I loved it; it was fantastic. My self-confidence was out the gate, and it was so good for my self-esteem. I have been working at DCM for almost a year now, but the others have joined the team more recently. So it was great for them to have some new gear, to feel so positive about the future. I can’t tell you how much it has meant to me to have this job, and I just love it! 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. We’re all part of the solution to homelessness. And the work we do here at DCM is such a big part of that. I am proud and privileged to be part of this team.” Kia ora rawa atu – big thanks to our friends at Dress for Success for lifting up our kaiawhina in this way. If you would like to donate clothes to support their mahi, or get involved in some other way visit their website. <!-- --> 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 © 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.
    • Accepted from DCM alerts archive 53 months ago by feedreader
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    Porirua, Wellington Region, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
  
  

• • Ngā Kōrero - Latest Stories from DCM

    • 1 May 2023
    • 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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} .footerContainer .mcnTextContent a,.footerContainer .mcnTextContent p a{ color:#FFFFFF; font-weight:normal; text-decoration:underline; } @media only screen and (min-width:768px){ .templateContainer{ width:600px !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ body,table,td,p,a,li,blockquote{ -webkit-text-size-adjust:none !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ body{ width:100% !important; min-width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnRetinaImage{ max-width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnImage{ width:100% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .mcnCartContainer,.mcnCaptionTopContent,.mcnRecContentContainer,.mcnCaptionBottomContent,.mcnTextContentContainer,.mcnBoxedTextContentContainer,.mcnImageGroupContentContainer,.mcnCaptionLeftTextContentContainer,.mcnCaptionRightTextContentContainer,.mcnCaptionLeftImageContentContainer,.mcnCaptionRightImageContentContainer,.mcnImageCardLeftTextContentContainer,.mcnImageCardRightTextContentContainer,.mcnImageCardLeftImageContentContainer,.mcnImageCardRightImageContentContainer{ max-width:100% !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; } } From a bus stop to a whare by the beach – Michelle’s story communities where whānau are housed, connected, valued and thriving About Us Contact Kia atawhai – Be kind On the road with DCM's Aro Mai Housing First Hutt Team  DCM's Aro Mai Housing First Hutt Team led by Barrie (left), with Karen, Te Paki, Ashleigh, Cindel and Daniel, at the office in Kokiri, Seaview, Lower Hutt. (Not pictured: Luisa.) DCM is well-known for the work we do in Wellington, but did you know we have a team working in the Hutt? Since July 2020, our Hutt team have been part of the Tākiri Mai Te Ata Whānau Ora collective, providing services to people who are experiencing homelessness in the Hutt Valley.   Based at Kōkiri Marae, our Hutt team are part of the wider Aro Mai Housing First whānau, and they remind us of an old DCM saying, “We might be small. But we are working on some of the biggest problems facing our city.” Along with providing Housing First services, the Hutt Team do Outreach work, and collaborate with Wā Kainga to ensure the whānau they are working with remain housed, and that no one falls through the cracks.   In this month’s update, we are using the motto Kia atawhai (Be kind), and it is thanks to the kindness of the people of the Hutt Valley, and the hard mahi of our amazing Hutt Team, that we have been able to see people like Michelle thrive. <!-- --> From a bus stop to a whare by the beach – Michelle’s story It was just before the pandemic when Alex and Paula from DCM’s Aro Mai Housing First team managed to meet with Michelle at a Lower Hutt café. Michelle presented as very tidy, and happy to sign a consent form so the DCM team could work to help get her housed. She listed her address as ‘Waterloo bus stop’. Michelle was very thin, and it was clear she had been roughing it for a long time.   The meeting came about due to the concern of the general public in the Hutt for Michelle’s wellbeing, which led to many calls to Hutt City Council for a response. Soon after the meeting, Michelle disappeared again, as her mental health challenges took hold once more.   Alex did not give up, searching for Michelle at some of her favourite hot spots, such as MIX, a service supporting those experiencing mental health distress, where Michelle could have a hot meal and charge her phone. Michelle was also a regular at the local library, where the staff knew her well. Michelle with her current key worker Daniel Patelesio. It takes a team to support the whānau we engage with, and others who have supported Michelle include Alex, Paula, Charloh, Kat, and Te Paki. Michelle was sighted sleeping in doorways and on a mattress a member of the public had given her. The public continued to make multiple notifications to the Hutt City Council. Everyone was worried about her wellbeing. When Alex finally found her again, Michelle did not remember her – she could not even recall that they had met.   This is a very familiar story for the DCM team. Mental health is an ongoing issue for many of the people we engage with, who often suffer from trauma and undiagnosed disorders.   Another familiar story is how the pandemic helped many of our whānau move into housing for the first time in a long time. This was true for Michelle too – because without any of the usual supports available to people out on the street, and with services such as libraries closed, emergency housing suddenly became a necessity.   DCM does not believe that emergency housing is a good solution for New Zealand’s housing crisis, and though it temporarily provided Michelle with a roof over her head, it was a struggle in many ways. Michelle became unwell and ended up in hospital, but by this time – mid-2020 – DCM had established a Housing First team in the Hutt Valley. While Michelle was in hospital, Vicki, an Emerge Aotearoa tenancy manager who works with DCM as part of the Aro Mai Housing First collaboration, found her a permanent whare. Michelle was delighted to be able to move in when she was discharged from hospital.   This is where the hard work really started – and it took time for DCM’s vision for communities where whānau are housed, connected, valued and thriving – to become true for Michelle.   By moving people from homelessness into housing, then providing wrap-around support and regular home visits, we uphold people’s mana – and their right to an adequate standard of living as per the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But sometimes, once people are housed, we start to understand what led to their homelessness in the first place. For Michelle, much of our support has been to address her health and wellbeing – other cornerstones of the Housing First concept. Michelle is now housed by the beach, which she loves. Her neighbourhood is great for walking, which she often does during the day to keep fit and healthy. Michelle also enjoys a close relationship with her mother and two daughters who now live nearby.   Michelle’s current key worker is Daniel, who visits regularly. Michelle says she is “Learning to trust people” again through her relationship with Daniel. She now sees how her life has changed in positive ways through her willingness to work with DCM. “I was homeless,” Michelle says, “There is no other way to describe it.”   Daniel has seen Michelle grow, and observed how she has turned her whare into a home. Everything is so well organised. The Housing First team will eventually ‘graduate’ Michelle, as she becomes more confident – and independent.   Meanwhile, the concern of the people of the Hutt Valley didn’t end when they stopped sighting Michelle out on the streets. A DCM staff member who worked with Michelle overheard concerned members of the public speaking about her one day, and was able to inform them that Michelle was now safe, and housed.   It is good to Kia atawhai (Be kind) to people who are rough sleeping or street begging wherever we may see them. But how proud we are to see Michelle go from the Waterloo bus stop, to her very own whare by the beach. WORDS: MIRIAM HENDRY / PHOTOS: SUPPLIED. <!-- --> What to do if you are concerned about someone rough sleeping or street begging You can make a difference! Don't give people money or food when you see them out on the streets. Acknowledge people and, if appropriate, direct them to DCM services. But better still – if you are concerned about someone rough sleeping or street begging, call Hutt City Council on 0800 488 824 or Wellington City Council on 04 499 4444 – and they will notify our team. Together – with your help – we truly can end homelessness in our city.   Support DCM <!-- --> <!-- --> Copyright © 2023 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 26 months ago by feedreader
    • Tagged as:
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    • covid-19
    • wellington-city-council
    • lower-hutt

    Lower Hutt, Lower Hutt City, Wellington, 5010, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
  
  

• • Maranui newsletter february 2023

    • 28 Feb 2023
    • Maranui Surf Life Saving Club
    • 96 MARANUI NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2023 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; } } Our Purpose is to: Grow people to their potential by providing an INCLUSIVE and SUPPORTIVE environment where people ENJOY what they do, put in maximum EFFORT through a surf environment that is constantly changing and CHALLENGING. KIA ORA Tomorrow will be the first day of the start of autumn, let's hope summery conditions will linger. The season may be coming to an end but Lifeguard Sport Team (Seniors) and the IRB Team (Inflatable Rescue Boat) still have competitions coming up.  We still need a First Aid Officer, so if this sounds like you please get in touch with Carrie - redmanatee@gmail.com Sadly our last Junior Surf session for the season is Sunday 19 March. Make sure you don't miss this. It will be loads of FUN! Ngā mihi. <!-- --> OCEANS'23 - FESTIVAL OF JUNIOR SURF LIFESAVING It's a wrap! 16 athletes competed at this Surf Lifesaving Sport Competition extravaganza at Mt Maunganui, Thursday 23 February - Sunday 26 February (four action-packed days). Our Maranui athletes trained incredibly hard all season to compete against other athletes from all over New Zealand at this event!   This event is an iconic Surf Life Saving New Zealand (SLSNZ) tradition which encapsulates the joy, excitement and skill involved in Surf Lifesaving, as well as providing a chance for kids U11-U14 to test their mettle in a safe surf environment. Highlights from the action at Oceans'23 will feature in next month's newsletter.   <!-- --> U11 boys at Capital Coast Junior Championships JUNIOR SURF What a month. We have had some amazing sessions back at the beach. February kicked off with a very successful Cap Coast Champs where we had several overall age grade winners. U13 Female Rosie Dunn (Silver) & Isabella Bethall (Gold),  U12 Male Isaac Goodwin (Gold) & Noah Isaia (Bronze), U11 Male Eddie Dunn (Silver), U9 Female Mille Isaia & Zhana Condliffe (Bronze). Thanks to our officials Anne Ferriss, Jeff Warburton, Ben Barry and newbies Ben Gleisner & Alex Dalzell!! Our nippers sessions have been well attended and even had a few waves to play in. Great to see new coaches stepping up, next season looks exciting!  Our board development skills sessions have continued when able and it’s great to see kids developing key skills and having fun… anyone with 200m badge wanting to gain experience on boards welcome! We had a team of 16 athletes attend Oceans'23 Festival of Junior Surf lifesaving over 4 days of fun, surf and personal success. They did all the Mahi and got to have fun, race and achieve personal goals! You made us all proud! 2023/24 season jumps to mind now for me… ALL current 10/11/12/13 members, how much do you live this sport? Do you want more time developing skills and even join us up here in the Mount next year?? If you think you do, please reach out to any of the coaches or myself over the next few weeks…. We want to grow more lifeguards and more amazing youth experienced in being amazing in our surf!  Lucy Barry Director Junior Surf Development Athletes at Capital Coast Junior Championships <!-- --> MARANUI IRB RACE TEAM QUIZ NIGHT More than 100 family and friends of our fabulous Maranui IRB race team got together on February 12 for a quiz night fundraiser at Brooklyn's 1852 Pub and Kitchen. It's the first time we've held a quiz at 1852 and, thanks to our wonderful host Jono and our amazing athletes and their families, the night proved hugely successful. To help our five IRB race teams with costs to upcoming events, including southerns, northerns and nationals, we've managed to raise almost $3000. As they say, it takes a village!  <!-- --> FIRST AID OFFICER WANTED After 6 years in the role I am stepping down.  I will do a proper hand over and provide support in the transition. If you are interested please contact Carrie - redmanatee@gmail.com Look forward to hearing from you, Carrie Matson Speirs <!-- --> RACHAEL BURKE - PEER SUPPORT Rachael Burke has recently undertaken training through SLSNZ to take on the role of Peer Supporter within Maranui Surf Life Saving Club. Peer Supporters are specially trained SLSNZ members who can provide confidential support to their fellow members on a range of issues including wellbeing concerns, personal stress, and traumatic lifesaving incidents.  Peer Supporters can also connect Maranui members with the Benestar programme. All current active members and their immediate families have access to FREE counselling and wellbeing support through Benestar. If you would like to discuss anything further feel free to contact Rachael on 021767347. SUBS & DONATIONS Calling all members - please ensure your subs and any outstanding fees/costs have been paid. Life Members & Associates (parents/caregivers) please don't forget to support Maranui by giving a donation. Thank you for your support.   <!-- --> KOOGA JACKETS KOOGA DECK PARKAS FOR SALE Price: $170 inc GST Branded Maranui 300gsm fleece lining 3000mm water resistant shell Knee length Fleece lined hood Super toastie warm for Wellington weather or between races. GARMENT MEASUREMENT GUIDE Please check sizing before you place an order. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aj9zvZchA1SY6Kbd-gcUFQ9YhbQwqPUi/view?usp=sharing Please contact Rhys - rhys.speirs@gmail.com JUNIOR SURF - SUNDAY 19 MARCH Sunday 19 March is our last Junior Surf (Nippers) session for the season. We will be running fun races: Certificates for all registered Junior Surf members FUN activities Lolly scramble BBQ / Shared Lunch  Don't miss this - we would love to have a big turnout for the last session of the season. It will be loads of FUN. <!-- --> THE MARANUI WAY Our Purpose is to: Grow people to their potential by providing an INCLUSIVE and SUPPORTIVE environment where people ENJOY what they do, put in maximum EFFORT through a surf environment that is constantly changing and CHALLENGING. VISION: One of New Zealand's premier surf lifesaving clubs providing world class surf lifesaving services and developing leaders and champions. PURPOSE: Provide our community a safe surf and beach environment. OUR CORE VALUES: Community, Excellence, Fun, Respect, and Tradition. <!-- --> OCEANS '23 FESTIVAL OF JUNIOR SURF LIFESAVING   Photos Courtesy Jamie Troughton Dscribe Media Services <!-- --> SEASON CALENDAR 2023 2023 TSB NZ Surf Life Saving Champs (Seniors) - Thursday 9 - Sunday 12 March, New Brighton Beach Last Junior Surf Sunday session for the season - Sunday 19 March 2023 BP Surf Rescue North Island Championships (IRB) - Saturday 25 - Sunday 26 March, Waipu Cove 2023 BP Surf Rescue New Zealand Championships (IRB) - Saturday 15 - Sunday 16 April, Whangamata Beach Easter - Friday 7 April to Monday 10 April 2023 School Holidays - Friday 7 April to Tuesday 25 April 2023  ANZAC Day - Tuesday 25 April 2023 Awards of Excellence / Prize giving (All Club Members) - Sunday 7 May 2023 SLSNZ Calendar - https://www.surflifesaving.org.nz/calendar All dates, times, locations etc are correct when published but subject to change. <!-- --> CLUB CONTACTS Jim Warwick (Club Chairperson) - chair.maranuislsc@gmail.com Anna McDonnell (Director of Lifesaving) - lifesaving.maranuislsc@gmail.com Rhys Speirs (Director of Sport) - rhys.speirs@gmail.com Francie Russell (Director of Business) - frances.russell@xtra.co.nz Pru Popple (Director of Operations) - prupopple@hotmail.com Lucy Barry (Director of Junior Development) - lucyjanebarry@gmail.com Rachael Burke (Director of Membership) - rachael@tiaki.net.nz <!-- --> Thank you to our MAJOR SUPPORTERS for your continued support! <!-- --> Copyright © 2023 Maranui SLSC, All rights reserved. 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    Maranui Surf Life Saving Club, 107, Lyall Parade, Melrose, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, 6242, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
  
  

• • 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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} } @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; } } 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 61 months ago by feedreader
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• • March Update from DCM

    • 30 Mar 2021
    • Downtown Community Ministry
    • 96 March Update 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; font-family: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; } } Together we can end homelessness Changing lives one smile at a time This month we have been marking the 5th birthday of the DCM Dental Service. During the birthday week, we offered daily dental sessions, sometimes with a difference. Rāhina/Monday: Monday’s session was taken by John and Emily; they saw several taumai with complex lives, who had not been able to be treated for their high levels of dental pain anywhere else. M had had his jaw broken, with the resulting metal plate adjacent to problem teeth causing him great pain. He had been referred to the hospital, but was not able to go there due to anxiety and addictions. The team at DCM worked to come up with a solution. We arranged for him to come back to DCM the next time that John Buckerfield took a dental session here. John spent an hour and a half with M, talking him through the treatment and successfully extracting the tooth. M also received fillings for other teeth. He left proudly showing off the extracted tooth, and with antibiotics and a plan for his recovery from John. Later in the day he was happily chatting and in a good space. H had a bad abscess and was in a lot of pain. He struggles with his addictions, and was very proud that he had managed to stay drug-free that day so that he could see the dentist. John was able to numb the area and treat the abscess in one appointment. H left pain-free and not needing further work. Rātū/Tuesday: On Tuesday, for the first time, one of our dentists headed out with our team to see taumai in their new communities and housing complexes. DCM has supported D over many years. He recently saw Sophie at DCM; she discovered he had a bad infection that needed urgent treatment. This time she was able to check on his progress in his own community, also explaining how a referral for dentures could work to better improve his oral health. N has recently been housed in the Berhampore area. He hasn’t seen a dentist in a long time and appreciated the chance to see Sophie at Berhampore Centennial Community Centre. Utilising a little side room, sterilised instruments, a dental and periodontal chart and torch, Sophie assessed N’s sore teeth and gums and could feel where any potential holes were located. N looks forward to a follow-up appointment at DCM. Rāapa/Wednesday: David took the very first session at the DCM Dental Service in March 2016. He has been a regular through all of the five years, and was back to take a session during our birthday week, supported by dental assistant Hazel. We definitely kept them both busy. Although DCM has supported T over many years, he had never seen a dentist at DCM. It had been a difficult week for T - not only was he experiencing pain but he had issues with his housing, and had been at a tangi the day before. David was able to extract two teeth, which made a big difference to T. Rāpare/Thursday: Once again, a line-up of people in pain with nowhere else to go for treatment made for another busy day. S is an older Māori man who is staying in emergency accommodation. He recently had a toothache that got so bad he took the tooth out himself! Still sore and with a number of other issues, he saw dentist Sunjna who treated infected roots as well as completing another much-needed extraction. S was so happy to have all his dental issues treated in one appointment. "I love the atmosphere at DCM," reflected dental assistant Issie at the end of the day. "The energy, the singing, the taumai... The highlight today, as always, was being able to offer people relief from pain. The challenge? Today again reinforced for me how difficult it is for taumai here to access support elsewhere. They may be referred to the hospital or other supports, but because of their anxiety, addictions, a whole range of barriers, they cannot get there and continue to live in pain. It's great to be part of the team in this place, where taumai do feel safe and are able to come and receive our support - and to leave pain-free." Rāmere/Friday: A is a refugee from Africa; for some years he has cycled between backpackers, motels and periods in temporary housing. A experiences a lot of dental pain. Last month, he saw a dentist at DCM for emergency treatment of his most urgent pain and issues, including a much needed extraction. He returned for another appointment this week, expecting further extractions. Dentist Laura was able to restore two of his front teeth, which he had assumed would need to come out. A was absolutely delighted to be able to retain his smile; he left praising the “angel” dentist who had made such a difference to him. DCM taumai have so much to contend with in their lives, the emergency dental work they are able to receive at DCM is truly a life-line, and in some cases a life-saver. We acknowledge all of the dental professionals who have made this possible over the last five years, Kaye and Maurice Clark who purchased this building with its dental rooms for DCM, and our supporters who donate money, product and skills so that we can offer this service to the most marginalised people in our community. Together, we have achieved something very special. <!-- --> Bringing a smile to the community We ended our very special week of celebrating the 5th birthday of the DCM Dental Service with seasonal kai. We all came together to share kai and to acknowledge one another and the taonga which this dental service has been for our taumai. How appropriate that the community of dentist Morris Wong, the Wellington Anglican Chinese Mission, should provide kai, along with EKTA, Good Bitches Baking and some Pasifika delicacies lovingly prepared by the family of our kaimahi, Nani. A smorgasbord of delicious food from different cultures, enjoyed together in the sunshine at DCM. <!-- --> Another reason to smile Many of you know and love Te Amo, who DCM has supported for a long, long time. Te Amo featured in DCM’s 50th birthday photo exhibition. He has worked in our foodbank for many years and is now our longest-serving staff member. As Te Amo grows older, and is able to work less hours, he has been looking for other ways to spend his time, so that he can thrive in his own community and in his retirement. We were excited to hear recently from Anne. Looking to downsize, Anne needed to find a new home for her beloved piano, which she has been playing since she was 7 years old. We immediately thought of Te Amo. He is a talented pianist who has learned to play by ear. You may have even seen him around Wellington where he serenades the city whenever he can find a piano to play – including outdoors in Frank Kitts park. It was great to see Anne's piano gifted to Te Amo's local community centre; he can now play whenever he wishes. Thanks Anne and we know you've found a new friend in Te Amo! To listen to them enjoying the piano together at its new home in Te Amo’s housing complex, click the link below. And how appropriate that Te Amo should choose to play this song for her...yes, love IS a beautiful song. <!-- --> How can I help? To mark the 5th birthday of our dental service, we have produced a new brochure, encouraging dentists and dental assistants to join our team. If you would like to pop in to DCM to pick up a brochure to share with your own dentist, or with dental professionals who you know, we would very much appreciate this. Or shout out if you would like us to mail you a copy. <!-- --> 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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    Berhampore, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, 6242, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
  
  

• • December Update from DCM

    • 29 Dec 2020
    • Downtown Community Ministry
    • 96 December Update 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; font-family: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; } } Together we can end homelessness Ngā mihi o te tau hou Over the holiday period, our kaimahi (staff) have been reflecting on the very unusual year which 2020 has been, and have been looking ahead to 2021. We asked some of them to share a special moment from 2020. We check in with two of them here; have a look at our Facebook page to hear from more of our team. Natalia Natalia, leader of our Outreach team, on the beach with her dog Scout. Photo by Hayley Trenwith One highlight or special moment from 2020 For about a year, I chatted with a man in Te Hāpai who was rough sleeping in the bush, had been living that way for years and had no intention of changing that. For one reason or another, he decided that he no longer wanted to come in to the DCM building, but was still OK to talk to me on the street or in the bush where he lived. He was adamant that he didn't want to live any other way and would shut down any conversations about housing. I started to think that maybe he was one of the exceptional few that really, truly don't want to be housed. Then about a month ago, he came into DCM and asked to see me. It was the first time he'd stepped inside our building in almost two years. He came to ask me to help him find housing. That was one of the most significant moments for me this year and in fact, over my whole time at DCM. It showed me that persevering in building relationships with our taumai, even if that relationship building goes at a snail's pace, is a worthwhile investment. It also showed me, again, that we have to get this idea out of our head that people don't want to be housed. What are your hopes and dreams for our taumai and our mahi in 2021? Linked to my moment, I'd love to see DCM continue to be leaders in messaging to Wellingtonians and New Zealanders that the homeless people we see, and don't see, want, need and deserve permanent housing. That they want good things for their lives, they want to be settled, they want to thrive and be part of communities. I would also love to see our Wellington City Council outreach contract renewed. And for taumai, well, my hopes and dreams for them - other than every single one of them being offered permanent housing - I'd love to see people finding meaning and purpose, to realise they are worthy of good things, are accepted and loved. In 2021, we also want to support them to find communities where they feel safe and have opportunities to learn something new, share a skill or be an encourager or supporter for someone else's journey. Emily Emily, our lead Dental Assistant. One highlight or special moment from 2020   A highlight for me this year has been seeing the DCM dental service grow with several new dentists and dental assistants - meaning we can offer more taumai the care they need. It's a very uplifting experience for everyone involved. Taking away people's pain, transforming broken and decayed teeth, or cleaning away sometimes decades of calculus build up - it still warms my heart so much to be part of this service.   What are your hopes and dreams for our taumai and our mahi in 2021?   I have high hopes for DCM capitalising on the amazing mahi that was done this year. While this year's lock-down was very difficult for the country, it was inspiring to see the opportunities it created for taumai. It will be wonderful to see this progress continue. For the DCM dental service, I still dream of even more dental staff and volunteers so we can help as many taumai as regularly as possible. I hope the current government's election promise of increased dental benefits from $300 a year per person to $1000 will be fulfilled; this would be a huge positive for the oral and overall health of our taumai, and the continued improvement of the DCM dental service. Bronwyn Bronwyn (right) is Clinic Lead at Te Aro Health (TAHC). Te Aro Health is committed to providing high quality, low cost health care for vulnerable Wellingtonians. They have 1200 enrolled patients, and operate a satellite clinic at DCM. One highlight or special moment from 2020 I valued our collaboration with DCM, especially through lock-down. What we achieved together was huge - DCM supported us so we could get into taumai accommodation to do those important health checks, and flu vaccines ahead of winter. At a time when other health services were closed, we were out there, identifying people at risk and connecting with them. And we did it collectively. What are your hopes and dreams for 2021?   In 2021 Te Aro Health is hoping to have more staff, especially another nurse practitioner to add to the value of our outreach clinics. We only have two prescribers who can complete medical certificates. We always want to do more, but we need more staff capacity. This is our goal for the year ahead. Henry Henry joined team DCM this year. One highlight or special moment from 2020 Housing an elderly couple into their first permanent home here in Wellington - both of them with varied health, mental, physical and personal challenges, including very strong views about not being housed. However after eventually getting them to view a potential unit, their whole demeanour changed, they were able to envision themselves living there for a very long time and eventually moved in. Another highlight was supporting a taumai with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), which comes with other social issues, to obtain permanent housing. He is immensely grateful and appreciative of his whare and very determined to not to do anything to lose it. All three of these people will begin 2021 settled in their own home. How special is that? What are your hopes and dreams for our taumai and our mahi in 2021? For our taumai to have a sense of belonging, worthiness, identity, purpose and belief… “The best is yet to come!” And as for our mahi - to continue with our goal of “working together to end homelessness”. As we go in to the new year, 2021, Wellington, let’s all commit to “doing whatever it takes!” <!-- --> Thinking about changing jobs in 2021? Would you like to join team DCM? Read Alex's story, 'I absolutely love working at DCM'. And for more info on our jobs available visit our website. <!-- --> 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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• • January Update from DCM - together we can end homelessness

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

    • 29 Jun 2022
    • Downtown Community Ministry
    • 96 June 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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} } @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; } } Clifton shares his story and we hear from Hapi again.  About Us Contact Clifton’s Story “I love being part of a major change in people’s lives.” Ko Clifton tōku ingoa. I was born in Wellington but lived in Ōpōtiki for the first 13 years of my life. I was raised by my Koro and Nanny in a whole house full of cousins and aunties and uncles. We grew up on the family farm. They had 14 children, so we were never without whānau around us. My favourite thing to do growing up was to ride my horse with my brother and cousins, down to the river for a swim or up the bush for a hunt, just exploring. My mother spent most of her time in Australia and down in Wellington. Then, out of nowhere, when I was 12 years old she turned up, and my brother and I went to live with her in Wellington. I have worked in a number of different jobs over the years. I started off in the family taxi office in Miramar as soon as I left Rongotai College. I have worked in the sugar cane fields of Fiji; I have had work with other whānau up in Ōpōtiki in kiwifruit orchards. Back in the early 2000s I worked for a time as a forklift operator. I was working for Fletcher Construction when the first lockdown began. When all the work stopped, I lost my job and my income. I was trapped in Wellington with no whānau support and nowhere to stay. I had to move into emergency accommodation. Clifton volunteered his time to support the DCM Foodbank Appeal in May. When was the first time I heard about DCM? It was during that first lockdown, and I was at AC International. There were three of us in the one room; myself and my two adult daughters. I saw a pamphlet about DCM, and gave them a call. Steph answered. I think originally I was asking for food, for a food parcel. It was a proper lockdown, and DCM was only open at very specific times. Steph told me to come down on the Wednesday morning, and I did. I told Steph that there were three of us in the same room. She said “we can’t have that” and got straight on to it. Paula arranged for us to move to two rooms at Halswell. My room number was Room 24, I remember that clearly. I was in one room, and the two girls were in the other. Once I was settled in at Halswell, Kat and Peni from DCM came over to speak to me – about getting housed! They spoke to me about finding the right place. I told them about the issues I had had, with places in certain suburbs where family and others from my past would come by. It was not so good. We agreed that I needed an apartment where others couldn’t just come in to my whare, and that it needed to be in the city. And it sure was meant to be! They offered me, Clifton, a place on Clifton Terrace! And I moved in – on 31 August 2020. Clifton with George on Super Saturday vaccine day. DCM supports people like me in so many ways. Not just with housing and food parcels, but I have also seen the audiologist, the dentist and the Te Aro Health nurses. I have been vaccinated at DCM – I had my first two shots there, and went off myself to get my booster. When I was in emergency housing, I would regularly come to Te Hāpai to get out and about and away from emergency housing for a while. I was always made welcome; the DCM kaimahi were genuinely interested in getting to know me, and hearing what my own hopes and dreams were. It was one of the DCM team, Dom, who supported and encouraged me to stop smoking. And then, a month after I moved in to my place, Kat asked me if I would like to work at DCM. I knew Fabian, and I had wondered how he came to get a job at DCM. The next step was for me to be part of one of the Peer Support courses which DCM offers to people who are interested in a kaiāwhina* role. No sooner was that done, than Kat came back to see me. She helped me with my CV and a cover letter. Then I had an interview at DCM – with Natalia and Paula. They asked me what sort of work I was interested in. I said I would love to work with the Outreach team, and they immediately agreed. They listened to me, to what I was keen to do. It was the ultimate miracle. Clifton is always looking out for ways to support others. He has stepped up to help all of DCM’s teams at one time or another. He enjoys working with Evan to deliver the Te Awatea programme (left) and participating in DCM training and team-building days (with Moses, Bella and Michelle at right). Since then, I have got to be involved right across the many areas of DCM’s mahi. I am part of the Outreach team, but I have also been out with Arieta, Adriana and George from DCM’s Aro Mai Housing First team and with Nadeeka to support our Sustaining Tenancies mahi. I have worked in Te Hāpai, and on DCM’s Te Awatea programme. I have been part of the team delivering our Community Connections programme. I was even at the very first session when we launched the programme at Newlands. I love the patience and resilience of DCM. We roll with it. When taumai are ready, we go forward with them. If they are not ready today, we will try again tomorrow. There are endless chances. We won’t give up on you. And now, I have been able to add more mahi in to my week. I have also joined the Take 10 team, working with youth. On a Saturday night, we are out from 9pm–4am in the city, connecting to young people, checking that they are safe, even paying for them to get an Uber home when this is what needs to happen. We offer water, sweets, etc., to get the young people to connect with us so that we can check in with them. All the DCM taumai seem to go by! They greet me, wonder what I am doing there. The way DCM has stepped up during this pandemic has been ever so encouraging and inspiring. They have come up with ways of supporting those who need it most, regardless of the traffic light system or regular lockdowns. That’s what separates DCM from other community services – the constancy of our level of passion for the work we do. It has been exceptionally impressive – the aroha and manaakitanga I have experienced and have seen others experience over my time at DCM – first as taumai, and now as a kaimahi. Clifton with his team leader, Natalia, outside DCM in Lukes Lane. Natalia Clifton is the type of person who will do anything for anyone. He is generous with his time, cares about his colleagues and keeps his eyes and ears open for ways that he can help people. Clifton also loves learning. It’s one of his great strengths – he listens, watches, and then tries something himself. He also asks for feedback from colleagues which shows great strength of character and humility. He is always open to doing things differently or better. Clifton has covered so much work for DCM including supporting us on outreach visits, running manaakitanga in Te Hāpai, coaching new kaiāwhina, moving furniture for taumai who have become housed, supporting community connections mahi, and sharing his own story in Te Awatea to help the taumai open up and share their story. He’s probably the only DCM staff member who has worked across all services and all teams. How would I describe Clifton? He is collaborative, humble, kind, patient and always supportive. Of both his colleagues – those he works alongside here at DCM – and of taumai. Clifton is always ready to lend a helping hand – whether it is cleaning up the hall after one of DCM’s Community Connections afternoons (left) or staying behind with Fiona after DCM’s last AGM to do the dishes and tidy up (right). <!-- --> Hapi In January, we introduced you to Hapi and shared his story. Hapi is a creative and sociable man who is thriving in his new home, a house provided by private landlord Dev. Hapi loves his art, and this month, some of his pieces have featured in a very successful exhibition organised by MIX, a mental health service which offers programmes in art and wellbeing. Hapi’s work has been popular, with more than half of the items he has prepared for the exhibition selling on opening night alone. Here’s what Hapi has to say about what art means to him: “Bro, it frees my mind. It frees me. I’m free! I'm free and I don’t have no other thoughts about anything else, but just go for my own things. Do my own style of work. I feel awesome when I make anything that I know that I can do, or whatever vision comes in my mind. I just lay it out how it is. What really makes me feel good is other people love it.” You can hear Hapi speak about his art for yourself, in this brief film clip: <!-- --> Support DCM *DCM uses the term kaiāwhina, meaning a helper or advocate for those staff who bring lived experience to their mahi at 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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• • Douglas shares his story - October at DCM

    • 31 Oct 2021
    • Downtown Community Ministry
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line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .headerContainer .mcnTextContent,.headerContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:16px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .bodyContainer .mcnTextContent,.bodyContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:16px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } @media only screen and (max-width: 480px){ .footerContainer .mcnTextContent,.footerContainer .mcnTextContent p{ font-size:14px !important; line-height:150% !important; } } 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.
    • Accepted from DCM alerts archive 44 months ago by feedreader
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    Ngaio, Wellington, Wellington City, Wellington, New Zealand (OpenStreetMap)
  
  

• • 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
    • Accepted from DCM alerts archive 61 months ago by feedreader
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• • 

    A city with a vision? AKL x WLG

    • 6 Sep 2020
    • Talk Wellington
    • Wellington’s got a lot of bustle and noise (Let’s Get Wellington Moving – Spatial Plan – new subdivisions – convention centre – library) but where’s the coherent vision? Hey Auckland – can we learn some things? The Wellington Urbanerds invited some insightful Aucklanders to talk about the Auckland City Centre Masterplan (CCMP) because it’s getting a lot of positive interest in nerdy circles nationwide, and we thought “Wellington needs one of those to galvanise our progress!” But it turns out that the CCMP is not the cause of Auckland’s progress – it’s a milestone marker of a bigger evolution in Tāmaki.  Auckland City Centre’s chief urban designer George Weeks was insightful, visually engaging and occasionally very funny. Auckland city centre’s chief transport designer Daniel Newcombe injected insights that were pithy and thought-provoking. All up it’s worth watching the video – details at the bottom. But this post has some of the big insights for Wellington that we took away.  Hat tip to Charles Dawson for invaluable note taking. A galvanising vision, with a strong whakapapa  What makes the CCMP unusual as an official planning document, Weeks told us, is that it’s not “a planner’s plan” – 2,000 pages of vision down to prescriptive requirements. Instead it’s “the brochure for the city centre”. He told us that “with the 2012 CCMP, we thought it was better to have a 200 page document that 10,000 people see, or at least have skimmed, than a 2,000 page document that 100 people read in detail. We have used this approach to shape the 2020 CCMP.” It has had a major refresh in the last 8 years and the 2020 version is quite something. Galvanising vision  Weeks took us through how the updated CCMP works: how it delivers on the Auckland Plan’s promise of life in Auckland, through the city centre’s form and function. It’s worth laying these out because while we definitely have bits of the formula, there’s some powerful elements we’re missing.   Experience of being there The Auckland Plan (essentially the Tāmaki-Makaurau 30-year plan) sets out ten Outcomes for the city – effectively the promise of life experience that you should get, being in Auckland. The whole super-city is supposed to fulfil these promises, and the city centre’s no exception. In the CCMP, the ten citywide Outcomes or life promises are intertwined with eight place-specific Transformational Moves. The latter are the major initiatives to change the physical environment of the city centre so it can deliver those outcomes – the good Auckland experiences – for anyone who’s there.  A lot of this has come into the 2020 CCMP thanks to Access for Everyone (A4E), the city centre’s transport programme done to support the CCMP refresh process (more on A4E later). Street forms and place shapes… So the 2020 CCMP has street explainers that show – conceptually but with a lot of verisimilitude – the components of the streets and buildings, the overall shape of the whole public realm that’s needed for the city centre to give people that great experience.  a generic “transit street” explainer – from the CCMP These explainers are conceptual, but are tied enough to specific places, that everyone can see the trajectory of how their specific bit of the city will be changing, but crucially they can see a really solid why. …because This means “X street, and its environment, should have Y shape and form because…”. We saw, for example, that one of the biggest streets in the Learning Quarter, Symonds Street, will be a transit street for all these reasons: Symonds St, for example, needs to become a transit street not because of some abstracted notion of “sorting out the transport” but because it is at the heart of Auckland’s city centre universities, and “transit street” is the form for Symonds Street that will let it best serve people in the Learning Quarter with the good experience the Auckland Plan promises. Weeks flicked through a few examples of how the CCMP is signalling change to the built environment of Tāmaki’s city centre (which is pretty interesting – have a play here, the 2020 version is fully digital!) Our impression of all this was that the CCMP, thanks to the Auckland Plan and Access For Everyone (the transport dimension), has pretty well integrated two things that any self-respecting city needs to integrate. This is the roles of movement (transport) and place or exchange (destination activity) in any given area of the city centre. And Auckland manages to integrate these with a nice clear Why and Because for each set of changes. [Hold on, is that anything special? We know about this stuff… This tight integration – of form to function, place with movement, built form to people’s lived experience – seems pretty elementary for self-respecting cities. And you’d be forgiven for assuming Wellington has that integration in place. Indeed, things like the street concepts in Auckland’s 2020 (refreshed) CCMP don’t look too dissimilar to what LGWM put out for the Golden Mile. And the material coming out from LGWM and the Central City elements of the Spatial Plan and Wellington 2040 use a lot of the right words. Golden Mile concept from LGWM But in listening to Weeks’ presentation, we realised just how explicit and unequivocal the CCMP and A4E are about the why, the because for the physical city changes they describe, anchored home to that lived experience promised in the Auckland Plan. And the locked-in coupling between the place / destination train and the movement / transport train so they’re pulling each part of the city in the same direction towards that better experience for all Aucklanders. This coupling is something we’re muddling around in Wellington. We’re hedging our bets on saying explicitly what lived experiences we want to prioritise and privilege in our city centre. This means the transport planning and place planning are making (at best) vague bows in each other’s direction, with lots of hedging our bets about whether and how we’re prioritising “drive-through” vs “go-to” in our city centre. OK back to the presentation…] Galvanising and enabling Weeks told us that in the CCMP, when you combine the Auckland Plan’s Outcomes and the CCMP’s Transformational Moves, the product is the city centre “Opportunities”. Opportunities are projects, quite specific things, and there are quite a few listed. click on the image to have a play in the CCMP Opportunities But they’re not a set of business-case investments that clamp tunnel-vision onto ambition. They seemed to be as much illustrating the kinds of projects that would make the city centre better at giving people that great experience of Auckland living. As Weeks emphasised: “anyone can come up with an Opportunity”. (We imagine the galvanising could run like this… Hello, I’m a developer looking at buying or developing neighbouring Building X and Building Y, I can see the direction of profitable change and unprofitable change that I could make to that property, given the trajectory of change in its environment.  And I can make up a project that creates a much better laneway space between them, plus better delivery access, better stormwater handling, and augmented residential-plus-commercial uses… This bundle of investments will make me money, and enhance really well that little corner of the city – so public investment and other private are likelier to come join me… ) CCMP’s generic laneways explainer (click to expand) Lesson for Wellington: let the vision be the vision, get other activity making it reality A big lesson for Wellington, Weeks said, was to “be clear about what different plans are to do. The City Centre Masterplan sets the vision, which allows many actors to work out how to deliver its different facets, or to develop their own ideas too.” The CCMP is only the green-circled bits in this picture. CCMP: a strong whakapapa The CCMP’s technical pedigree is strong – it makes good application of internationally-accepted principles of urban physics and urban dynamics. But – as Weeks put it – if the CCMP can “see further, it’s because [it is] standing on the shoulders of giants”. Complementing the CCMP’s technical pedigree is its collective human ancestry: the people, organisations, and relationships that have coalesced around it, the support that it’s known and seen to have, and the mana that this contributes to its strong legitimacy and mandate today.  From the presentation a few points stood out on each of these… The technical pedigree of the CCMP  Weeks and Newcombe gave us a whistle-stop tour of the set of transport and urban planning documents of which the 2020 CCMP is the progeny. Auckland Unitary Plan – The supercity’s first joined up District Plan, the “rulebook” for implementing the Auckland Plan. Forced much more collaboration in planning, for everything. City Centre Future Access Study – NZTA, Ministry of Transport, Auckland Council, Treasury, Auckland Transport found the City Rail Link would blitz all other 46 options for getting people to and from the city centre. The City Rail Link (CRL) –  an underground railway link turning the city centre heavy rail terminus into a through-station, building 4 new underground stations. Doubles the number of Aucklanders with 30min access to city centre. After years of arguing, finally underway once tax was to pay 50% (thanks ATAP). Auckland Transport Alignment Project (ATAP) (2016-17, updated 2018) Auckland-region-wide (not just one bit) merit-based priority list of all the big-ticket transport projects, costed and agreed by all funders and deliverers.  Crucially: first acknowledgement by central government that Auckland couldn’t road-build its way out of its traffic problems Business Case for Walking – first quantification of the value of city centre walking to Auckland’s economy, done in 2017. [Hey “walkable capital”, where’s ours?] The creation of documents always sounds more coherent in retrospect, but Weeks and Newcombe emphasised that it’s not been a nice clean sequential progress.  Key principles of urban physics (like the role of people walking) have only been given oxygen relatively late in the sequence. The need to get tax funding to co-fund megaprojects has meant a lot of back-and-forth raruraru with central government, and between the various bits of Auckland’s council family.  And some great documents – like the Business Case for Walking mentioned above – have no official legal weight: a decision-making body can completely ignore them if it wants.  But we heard that the various documents have meant that amongst the bureaucracy and other government power-holders, there’s been an accumulation of key principles of good urban physics, akin to accumulation of organic matter. Sometimes it’s just leaves falling, but sometimes there’s a large trunk. These accumulations in the establishment’s hivemind make it much harder to go back and relitigate, as there’s been some crystallisation in the thinking. (Though, of course, as Newcombe noted, that doesn’t stop people trying!)   Access for Everyone – the complementary transport element of the City Centre Masterplan which was developed as part of the CCMP refresh – is a great example. In traditionally car-mad Auckland, the entire Auckland Council voted unanimously to begin A4E trials “enabling a decisive mode shift away from private vehicles, to make better use of finite city centre space and improve the quality of the environment.” Wow. Access For Everyone’s car-free Queen Street / Horotiu Valley with Low Traffic Neighbourhoods around. And no more driving through the city centre! The human side of CCMP’s whakapapa We heard that a major benefit of the sequence of documents was the relationships and conversations that a document creates a pretext to have.   There’s been a lot of investment in behind-the-scenes engagement, with big stakeholders in the city. This has paid off in an unusual level of big players’ trust and buy-in to the vision and the big moves to get there. From large developers, through Heart of the City (the inner city Business Improvement District), through the AA, NZTA, to the City Centre Residents’ Group  (fun fact: 40,000 people live in Auckland’s city centre alone). This good stakeholder engagement bears fruit: it enabled councillors to support the 2020 CCMP relatively easily, despite it having relatively little engagement from the wider public (a few hundred submissions compared with the Unitary Plan’s ~10,000). It’s not a coincidence that Precinct Properties has seen fit to drop a billion (with a B) dollars of its shareholders’ money into the Commercial Bay development – Weeks observed that it’s on the strength of the new trust and joined-up thinking developed through the CCMP process.  Daniel Newcombe spoke from experience about the collaboration that had eventually started to come, once “you can get people to stop introducing competing plans” and come together. Sometimes this requires biding your time, working by osmosis, and finding the sensible individuals in an organisation on whom to work, and building coalitions that chip away at antipathetic organisations. Getting people to issue formal letters of support on behalf of their organisations can be extremely powerful, he said. Iwi influence  We heard that one major improvement of the 2020 refreshed CCMP over the 2012 original is the inclusion of Māori outcomes. For the refresh, the ADO worked closely in partnership with Auckland’s Mana Whenua Kaitiaki Forum to develop a Māori outcomes plan. This work shaped Transformational Move 1: Māori Outcomes, with proposals for a papa kōkiri at the waterfront and a whare tāpere at Aotea Square.  The 2020 CCMP manifests the Auckland Plan’s Māori Identity and Wellbeing outcome and Te Aranga Māori Design Principles via Outcome 1: Tāmaki Makaurau – Our place in the world. It sets out the big interventions and systemic changes to bring mana whenua presence, Māori identity and life into the city centre and waterfront.  There are some big-ticket, high-visibility things and pervasive, interwoven ones. To our (Pākehā) ears this sounded pretty great…  Attack of the roadcones! Plans are essential, but how do you get them going, especially when there’s so many large, cumbersome players with inertia?  Weeks had peppered the presentation with cool before-and-after shots of some iconic Auckland changes, including Te Ara i Whiti / the (pink) LightPath, and localised street improvements like our favourite, O’Connell Street (below). O’Connell Street. oh.yes.melbourne We know (though the webinar didn’t go in depth here) that much of Auckland city centre’s evolution that you and I can see today was driven by the Auckland Design Office, with Auckland Transport and Auckland Council partners. Their projects opened people’s eyes to how good street change could be done, and that actually the good “urban physics” did apply in Auckland too. And they gave Auckland council family a chance to practice delivering street change together, and figure out how it can be done without anyone losing an eye.  They did it with a combination of a figurehead / champion / lightning rod / air cover for the ground troops (AKA Ludo-Campbell-Reid) plus a ninja team of designers, engagers and doers, doing on-the-ground projects that brought to life the good practice of urban design.    Projects like Fort Street, O’Connell Street, Fort Lane, and Jean Batten Place showed that – contrary to received wisdom – replacement of on-street car parking with high-quality streetscape was good for business. Collaboration with Auckland Transport led to the creation of a pop-up cycleway along Quay Street (well before the Innovating Streets for People pilots) which is now being incorporated into a permanent street redesign that will finish this year.  It’s not been an easy road: by now, ten pilots of the street changes for Access for Everyone were supposed to be underway, following that unanimous Council vote, but just one (High Street) has been. And the ADO has now been disbanded, allegedly due to their irritating conservative parts of the establishment with cost-cutting as a pretext.  But there’s momentum now…  Auckland’s changing, and has lessons for us  Throughout the session the Zoom chat pane had been running hot with questions and comments from the “floor” (aka the online audience). Weeks and Newcombe took questions from the pane and from the Urbanerds presenters, and a few highlights stood out including lessons for Pōneke… Lesson for Wellington: get partners on the same transport page Weeks’ and Newcombe’s first lesson was to get a multi agency agreement on transport together. It can’t just be the city council or regional council. It has to have central government buy-in; they can’t be pulling in the other direction from the city or region with their ambitions for the city’s transport. Updated ATAP, with all the partners This consensus shifts the conversation from “Do we need that good stuff replacing the bad stuff?” to “When do we need it?”. You have to keep the focus at that “when” level, not allowing relitigation of the fundamental principle of urban physics that you’ve achieved consensus on. We wonder: is this LGWM? Is it shifting our conversation? Is NZTA pulling in the same direction as the city, as the regional council?   Lesson for Wellington: generate the brochure, together A second big lesson is that you have to have the vision, the brochure, the clear picture of the good life that your city wants to give everyone who’s in the city centre, whatever they’re doing there. This has to be the rationale for any the physical changes that you entertain or consider. The Auckland Plan’s 8 outcomes – promises of the experience of life in Auckland, that the CCMP too must deliver This “brochure” must be developed hand in glove with the actors we want to be supporting it, building on any public mandate you already have but not driven by the wider public. This conversation with the big players should not feel like it’s led by any one player (developers, or transport-planners, or inner-city-residents, or businesses – nor even, we wonder, council?). What it must be is very good quality engagement that builds a strong trust and instils a foundation layer of commitment to (or at least grudging acknowledgement of) solid urban physics, and the trajectory of change needed throughout the city.    Lesson for Wellington: CBDs are doomed Listener Sally asked whether a focus on a city centre had been overtaken by COVID and its boost to working from home, and localism, especially in Wellington where there’s such a large commuter population. Weeks’ answer put it in much more professional terms, but the message came through clearly: if your city centre is mostly a Central Business District, where “business” is the dominant activity, it’s doomed. Monocultures always make a system vulnerable to shocks, in agriculture, horticulture and in cities If it’s a central city, with a hundred or a thousand different reasons for people of all different walks of life to be there, then it’ll be fine – it’ll change and adapt, but the power of people wanting to be there is the lifeblood of a city. “The death of the city has been predicted since the invention of the city, in the Bronze Age” Weeks observed – “and if you’ve got an actual city, it won’t happen.” We wonder… how much of Wellington’s central city is a dead zone by 6.30pm? How much are we reinvigorating and diversifying the reasons to be there?   Lesson for Wellington: lock all good plans to something with teeth Weeks emphasised that the power of these plans comes from linking area plans and other non-statutory plans to ones with statutory power.  So despite being a non-statutory document, the City Centre Masterplan carries weight because they mapped its outcomes tightly against the Auckland Plan (the statutory 30-year plan for the whole city) and councillors have voted overwhelmingly in favour of it. diagram showing how the CCMP is making good on the Auckland Plan’s promises, in the city centre We definitely don’t yet have the vision and its trust, nor the solid hook between statutory and non-statutory … but we have some elements of the recipe.    We wonder… how much of the CCMP-style whakapapa do we have, if not the actual document?  Could we build these levels of trust and vision together?  Some Wellington City Council planning and design gurus attended the session and helpfully fielded some questions about where Wellington was at. Our one-liner summary was: it’s not going to hell in a handcart, but it’s definitely all up in the air. Smart engagement from Urbanerds listeners and Talk Wellington readers is really needed. We’ll pick up “so what for us?” in the next post. Here’s the video: link, passcode SUa&tOC5 Meantime… where have you seen signs of a clear vision of good Wellington city life, for everyone?
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• • 

    The artist as many other things first

    • 16 Feb 2023
    • Urban Dream Brokerage
    • Holly McEntegart in conversation with Anne Noble, facilitated by Mark Amery <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Image: Anne Noble Merging her work as an artist, mother and full spectrum doula, Holli McEntegart recently brought something remarkably different to the bustle of Wellington’s Courtenay Place, in an exploration of art as a social practice.  Providing a warm, calm space for participation, Inhabit brought together mothers and their infants to examine how community, cultural and whānau postpartum care has changed in Aotearoa, sharing experiences in real-time and as oral history. A private issue was brought into a public realm. Rethinking the artist’s role in society, McEntegart was supported by artist Anne Noble in a project commissioned by Letting Space for vacant space activators Urban Dream Brokerage. McEntegart now has plans to bring the project to Auckland.  Here are Holli and Anne in conversation. Mark Amery Anne Noble: Letting Space and Urban Dream Brokerage have made a really remarkable contribution to the Wellington art scene. Letting Space positioned itself as an entity that sits outside the conventional domain of the gallery, where the artist is mostly defined e as a producer of objects and artefacts. They offered an experimental space and an invitation to artists to expand the ecology of contemporary art and provide support for them to provide a new kind of experience for communities and publics to engage with contemporary art I see Inhabit as a perfect example of the kind of project that Letting Space and Urban Dream Brokerage were established to nurture, enable and support.  When I first thought about your ambition for Inhabit: to marry both your practices as an artist and a full spectrum doula, one of my first questions was about the expanded role of the artist in a social practice. How is your work first and foremost art while being shaped by other practices and concerns?   What came to mind was a book [^1] I’ve had on my bookshelf, which has on its cover The Artist As followed by a list: that includes such descriptors of the artist as .. producer; the artist as… archivist; the artist as… ethnographer; the artist as… catalyst; the artist as… orchestrator; the artist as… poet; the artist as… curator. And it ends with this really beautiful phrase in capital letters: AND MANY OTHER THINGS FIRST. This points to the fundamental premise of your art practice - driven and formed by another whole domain of expertise, professional practice, experience and activist concerns. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Image: Anne Noble | Infant massage with Jo Chambers. From left: Megan Rodgers and Jasper, Jo Chambers from Blissful Bubs You define yourself as a social practice artist but you also practice as a full spectrum doula.   How did you arrive at the idea of merging your practice as an artist with your life as a mother, your interest in the post-partum experience and your activism in this space?    Holli McEntegart: You and I talked a lot about the artist as a conduit; or as activator. As a young artist I was always really interested in capturing images of moments that had complicated stories behind them. I realised that my interest was often more in the story; how we got to this point; the full stop. The work was always, for me, in the negotiation of  getting to that image - with the image itself feeling lacklustre in comparison to that journey. Then when I moved to Pittsburgh to complete my Masters I found that there was a greater focus on social practice as a role for the artmaker. The driving need for me has always been to build relationships, and therefore community. So when I was taking photographs I would spend months getting to know people, navigating the permission, not just to be there, but to be accepted; to belong. I’ve joined every group under the sun! A loon (an aquatic bird) counting group in Maine, a porcelain painting group in Mt Albert, a bluegrass group, banjo club and a barbershop quartet in Pittsburgh, and a cake decorating group in Otara, to name a few. But I didn't feel like I had the right to be there unless I was really an accepted part of the community. That came to a head for me in Pittsburgh when I joined a  semi-gated spiritualist community called Lily Dale, and began making work out of the readings they were doing for me. I would spend eight months with them before I could make that work. By the time I was living in New York there were many grants, residencies and galleries supporting a socially engaged framework of art making. My eyes were opened to the fact that this community exchange and the energy I was investing into relationship building was not only valid, it was the work.That really gave me permission to move past just documenting my work with photographs or videos and writing and to pull the focus back to the process, the making and the relationship tending.  Research is a huge part of my process, whatever I’m working on I’m always off down a research tunnel. So, when I got pregnant in New York with my first child Arlo I went on a huge journey to understand pregnancy, birth and everything that was happening to my body. I discovered that in New York City, the maternal mortality rate in pregnancy, birth and early postpartum is astoundingly high, and that black women are 12 times more likely to die in childbirth than white women. OB’s are often pushing for a lot of unnecessary interventions within the hospital system and midwives are not as commonly used, though that is changing. I come from a family of home birthers in New Zealand, it was normalised and seemed like the obvious place for me to birth, but only around 1.5% of people give birth at home in the US, so it's quite a radical thing to do in that context.  I was so lucky that I had a neighbour and friend who was training to be a midwife and was working as a birth doula. Through her I discovered this group of folks called doulas. I started learning about the role they play in birth work, about reproductive and birth justice advocacy, and about everything I was going to need to know to birth my baby at home while being supported by a midwife and doula team. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Image: Anne Noble New York City is so compact, we had a tiny apartment and I had a home studio. My son, Arlo, was born underwater, in a birth pool on my studio floor. At that point I had been working for some time within these spiritualist communities. I had been really delving into why people were seeking healing in these communities and what it meant to be constantly practising these healing rituals. Birthing my son in my studio was like an epiphany, I was on a healing journey myself and this was a part of the work.  Birth was incredibly healing for me at that point in my life and then, like many people, postpartum was a completely different beast. Like most people experiencing giving birth far from their home and family, I just felt an intense lack of support from the world. And with that a deep loneliness. I was so homesick. My parents came to visit for two weeks which was incredible, but it went so fast. A few good friends showed up as best they could but I was living and working as an artist in New York, I didn’t know anyone with babies or even young kids. People are busy - for everyone else, life goes on. It’s the postpartum person that is stuck in stillness, but constantly working. It was a totally different world. You get the sense  that everybody shows up for birth, everyones interested, you learn so much about pregnancy and childbirth, tracking the changes in your body all the way through to this kind of event, and then everyone leaves, and you’re left in charge of a human. It’s wild, uncharted territory and no-one’s told you that much, or what they have told you is irrelevant, biassed, outdated and sometimes even harmful. I longed for my family, mostly for my mum. I found myself floating out to sea, and there was a realisation that no one was going to rescue me - I had to rescue myself. And to do that I needed  to dive even deeper into what was happening to me, go down that research tunnel again and find out what support there was in the world and how I could heal.  That led to me doing Seen, a postpartum doula mentorship programme with Birdsong Brooklyn, and learning constantly - four or five months too late - what could have rescued me before I needed rescuing! It was eye opening and there was a lot of deep grief about the care I had missed out on, and the ways I could have been  supported. I was diving deeply into the profoundness of becoming a mother and the reality of how much is lacking in the world in supporting new parents. I just fell in love with this idea that we could be healing collectively if we just looked after each other better and shared our knowledge.  I built my community from that in New York in that first year of parenting. At that point I had been  working for three years as the studio manager for an incredible artist, Janine Antoni, who is also a parent and understands that mothering work. It was a huge question for me: how do I keep working in the world as an artist, be able to show up as a mother and earn enough money to live? How do I juggle all of this and stay tethered to myself? I gave birth to my son when I was 38 and I was being called a geriatric mother by the medical system. It scared me. I wanted to breathe in my baby, just inhale him and not miss a second. But  how do I do that and keep up my practice? Well… I just gave birth to my son in my studio…. It was these layers of realisation: this labour is the work. I have to reframe my life so that this labour of the home, the labour of care, of mothering, is seen and valued. So I left my job in the studio with Janine and went straight into postpartum doula training. I needed to be immersed in the community in the same way I had been with the spiritualists or the cake decorators or the bird counters in Maine. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Image: Holli McEntegart | Multiples Feeding Support Group. From left: Jessie Lee Broadbent, anon Anne: You have talked about your journey as a photographer engaging with communities, and how the outcome can be separated from those experiences that feel like part of the work. That is n true for many documentary photography projects.You’ve also described beautifully your dissatisfaction with being both outside a subject and yet needing to be  right in the heart of it.  The notion of a social practice artist is less common in New Zealand than in the US. It has currency in art schools, but my instinct when we first met and talked was that you have a really highly evolved practice in which you prioritise your  relationship as an artist to the post-partum communities you engage with  Your work  begins with you your life as a mother and your practice as a doula being the site of public art activism, of making the post-partum world experience shared and visible. How have you then addressed the visibility of this as an artwork? You only need to look at the project website to see the level of community engagement and the number of people you have drawn into this space. It’s really significant. Those workshops - people flocked to them. But to make it public, visible to participants and to audiences how does that work?  Holli: What comes first for me is the relationship, being a good community member and trust. I come at relationship building and getting people involved with their whole heart; with a genuine interest and respect. I have to have something at risk as well. Inhabit was a year in the making, but the day we opened, with a multiples lactation support workshop. We had six twin mums and probably six assistants or helpers, including grandmas, friends, lactation and doula support. That's 12 babies plus Indigo [Holli’s own baby]. Over 24 bodies breathing life into the space. That was the moment that the work became art; that it became an artwork. It was activated by the community of people in the room and their energy. Up until then there’s a lot of risk on my part because I don’t know who is going to show up and what they will bring on the day. The work is filled with intention but it has to meet people where they are and vice versa, and for that reason, it’s never the same, it evolves and unfolds and, much like mothering, I must surrender to it.   I think I’m comfortable leaning into the unknown. Within a socially engaged practice you really don’t know how your participants or your audience (the public) are going to enter the work.  I consider the folks facilitating  workshops my co-creators. There were six months of emailing and zoom conversations about what I was making with that final group of people, so many conversations about what the community needed. And then there was a point when  they came to me with a  plan to set up this specific workshop for multiples families. They were asking for my permission, and I was overjoyed because, it was at that point that they took ownership and really began to have agency within the work. That was the moment when the community was activated, they started creating what they needed under the umbrella that I offered - this community activation was where the social practice aspect of the work really came into play. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Image: Milan Maric | Combined yoga and Infant massage workshop with Emma Chen Flitcroft and Jo Chambers I was coming to Wellington, into a community I’m not from, so I’m constantly asking myself, how do I leave this space better than when I got here?  Within social practice I think there is a very real responsibility to care for the community you're working in and to make sure there are ongoing care agreements in that community. Everyone that provided a workshop for Inhabit offers free or sliding scale services that could continue to be accessed after Inhabit closed for example.  Anne: That’s a beautiful description of the artist as catalyst. I’m very fond of the notion that when an artist plays those roles, the artist in a conventional sense disappears to become a  generating and catalysing force  Holli: I’m interested in the way my role shifted from facilitator to participant, or mother , or host. Hourly that changed. Originally I thought I would be facilitating some workshops but I didn't end up doing that because so many people wanted to facilitate their own. At the beginning of each workshop I would introduce the project and really ground it back into the context of an artwork, to remind people they were participating in something both bigger than them, but also inherently generated by them, and then I would participate alongside them. I was  never an observer, I was a participant.  I think it’s really important I have the ability to be part of what’s happening as opposed to being an outsider. Learning, participating and being vulnerable. That vulnerability permissions other people in the space to also be vulnerable. It’s not like, as you’re describing Anne, that ‘‘you’re the artist and you’re over there’ on a pedestal. The process is about me sinking back into the work. It’s a dance between making sure people feel like they are being held and acknowledged and the space is being tended to in the correct way, but not dominating it. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Image: Anne Noble Anne: As a public artwork, positioned in Courtenay Place, it was a really beautiful intervention with really subtle signage and this glowing light masked by a wall of handmade stitched together nappies! It offered a surprising encounter that was intriguingly signposted and people were welcomed to just stop and to consider what it might be - as a public art project.  Sometimes I was amazed at the number of people participating and how  the work created an opportunity for a community to assemble. How did you introduce participants to the process of being part of something for them but also part of something larger? Of being participants and collaborators in Inhabit as an artwork. Holli: That was definitely one of my biggest challenges. There were a couple of things I did practically. Even before Inhabit opened I worked very hard to centre the project in the community with this drawing project that involved - six Love Note posters that were plastered repetitively around the city in the two weeks leading up to our opening. I was documenting them in situ and sending images of them to people when they were signing up for the workshops as well as using them in social media. So there was a centring of it as an art project before they arrived. Most people had seen these drawings and then saw the wall of Love Notes  growing on the wall when they came into the space. I introduced that as a collaborative drawing project and really impressed the importance of adding everyone's voice to that growing archive.   <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Image: Lily Dowd I constantly was re-centring it as an artwork in this way all the time, and encouraging the public  to participate, reminding them of what they are a part of. I see the Love Notes as the beginning of an archive of postpartum stories - a collection. And that maybe this is how we start something: a movement, a book, an archive - we just have to start putting our stories on the wall. I think that grew really organically and became a way for people to gently  be reminded of the fact that they were a part of an artwork, and then they forgot about it - which was great. Someone hands them a bowl of soup, nourishes them, checks in and makes sure they’re OK. Offers to hold their baby.  and that energy of care flows into the space and  people feel really comfortable. And that comfort was there in part because I was there visibly parenting, making the work. Creating a space that makes visible the lived experience of parenting, and artmaking at the same time.   <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Image: Anne Noble As it transpired there was very little foot traffic, and actually the space needed to be very protected, intimate and gate kept. So the curtain that I made really provided a level of intimacy. It is another drawing project I had been working on as a part of the show, but I didn’t quite know where it would fit. I’ve been collecting these used flat nappies. They are very identifiable, heavily washed and starched white cotton with a red stripe down the side. They are the kind of do everything cloth of motherhood. So representative of the labour of the home. Soaking up the mess of it all. I’ve been stamping all over them with my own mother at my kitchen table, “Ssshhhhhh sshhh shhh ssshhh shh shh shh…” On the first day of installation it was clear to me that we needed to be able to transform the space into a private, intimate one, and to open it up to the world. Sewing the nappies together to make a curtain was a wonderful way to create that boundary between public and private. And then at the end of the last workshop I was really inspired to “pull back that curtain” and be seen. I called you and asked you to document this moment of being seen in parenting and artmaking. It was such a moment of connectivity and community connection. There’s now two groups I believe that came together at Inhabit and are continuing to meet. It was great to cultivate this level of nurturance and community engagement  in a place like Courtenay Place - buses, cars and people with so much going-to-work energy,  once we pulled back that curtain I think people were taken aback by it “there are so many babies!” <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Image: Milan Maric | Combined yoga and Infant massage workshop with Emma Chen Flitcroft and Jo Chambers Anne: Yes it was a brightly lit window that glowed like a little jewel! And was such a surprising experience walking by. You’ve described the artist as a generator and how there is a legacy for participants beyond the exhibition space. What were some of the highpoints during Inhabit and some of those legacies? Holli: The highest high was our opening, that first day. 13 babies in the space. One of the sets of twins was only five weeks old and it was their first time out of the house and their mum had driven an hour to get there, they spent all day with us. Any future Inhabit projects will always open with a multiples workshop  because these folks are the least catered for within the system. The world was not made for people birthing two or three babies at a time… So to have this space where people were surrounded by support and advice and understanding. It was so magic and it was so clear there was a need for that.  I think that in the current Covid climate people are feeling so much more isolated and unable to get out of the house. Opportunities for connection that were available to parents pre covid often aren't now, like community or library meetups and coffee groups. Many people were speaking of coming to Inhabit  as the first time they’d been to a group outside the home, there is a lot of isolation and fear out there, and a deep lack in support services. A few people who weren’t parents had some very interesting interactions with the space as an artwork, which I found fascinating. Some really generative conversations came from them being confronted: that they were coming to a public  exhibition, and were questioning ‘what is this?!’ I had very interesting conversations with other artists about what participation looks like when you’re not a parent. For parents their participation was organic but for others, it felt very different. They accessed it through my facilitation and it was interesting seeing them sink into comfort because they were being cared for; getting down on the floor and playing with Indigo. Having some soup, and learning about traditions of postpartum care and methodologies. I’m interested in pulling back the veil on this kind of care work because we can all benefit from learning how to tend to our communities and families. <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Image: Milan Maric Another highlight was my involvement with Little Shadow. They run perinatal mental health support groups in the Wellington region and virtually across the motu. They were so supportive of this project. They really saw the power of what Inhabit created in offering an entrance point  to conversations about perinatal mental health that are softer and more nurturing than how it’s often tackled when people are looking for support within a healthcare system. Inhabit provides nourishing food, a space to express yourself creatively, a place to move your postpartum body,  and a room full of folks on a similar path. Once there, we are able to get into the nitty gritty of what we are all experiencing because the space itself is so tended to. Something that I repeat all the time is that I’m examining patterns of care, whilst caring for our communities. I want to decolonise postpartum care so that we may all gain the knowledge of how to care for each other. Then there was that final reveal, pulling back that curtain. I felt I was truly being seen as my whole self in the work. Before that point I was a shapeshifter facilitating everybody else's journey. But at that moment I was in my deeply creative space of making and mothering as I  finished the project. It felt like closure and an answer to that question of how I can be an artist, make work and be a parent. It struck me how that question has deeply impacted my relationships with people and how I move in the world.  In my first few days in Wellington I had a clear vision of that image we captured at the  end. I saw the room glowing with light, semi dark outside and the interior being a place of making and of process. A gallery, and a living room and a studio and a feeding place. Where bums are getting changed, a place where all of life is happening at the same time. And that the public are walking past and peeking in. The labour of parenthood and of artmaking is usually so invisible. That moment at the end just felt like: let’s get it all on display! <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Image: Milan Maric <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Image: Milan Maric Anne: I love what you say about risk. Because if art doesn't involve risk it doesn't leave the opportunity for engagement - If it's there and says it all it doesn’t ask very much of people. The way both your processes of making and lived experience are entirely central to the work raises questions for people coming in off the street  - challenging their notions about art - and confronts them with the invisibility of the post-partum experience. Can you talk about how Inhabit is an evolving work? How it’s more than  a one-off event where communities come together and are potentially transformed. How is the  website a part of the evolution of the work? Holli: If you are thinking about community engagement and looking at different types of communities' needs then you’ve got to move around those communities. My vision for Inhabit was always that it would move around the motu. One of the things I thought was important about the experience in Wellington was that it felt disruptive. It felt radical. It was an  interesting way to inhabit vacant space in the CBD and disrupt a community. It ignited something that people were aware they needed, but no-one knew how to connect on and build.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Image: Anne Noble I think there’s a lot of power in Inhabit travelling around regionally and disrupting systems in ways that are really positive and ignite connection. I think of little things growing, sprouting. And of having this homebase of an archive online where we can collect and hold these postpartum stories and learn from what we’ve been doing here to better support communities. Anne: Thanks Holli - for the pleasure of being a small part of this project with you.  Anne Noble (Laureate), ONZM, is a photographer and curator whose work spans still and moving image, installation and international curatorial commissions. Over multiple projects Annne Noble has considered the significance of memory and imagination to personal and cultural narratives of place and belonging.Holli McEntegart is an interdisciplinary artist using social practice, video, performance, photography and text. She holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts in Photography (NZ), and a Masters of Visual Art and Design from Auckland University of Technology (NZ), which included a one year MFA scholarship at Carnegie Mellon School of Art, Pittsburgh (USA). In 2014  she was an artist in residence at the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture in Maine (USA). Her work has been performed and exhibited throughout the USA and New Zealand. In 2018 she trained as a Full Spectrum Doula after giving birth to her first son in Brooklyn, New York. Returning to Aotearoa in 2020, where she continues her work as an artist and as a Reproductive Justice Advocate. Holli is now an island named Mother to two boys, aged 4 and 9 months.  <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > Image: Holli McEntegart | Multiples Feeding Support Group - From left; Anon, Georgie Manning, Jessie [^1]: Aileen Burns, Tara McDowell, and Johan Lundh, The Artist As Producer, Quarry, Thread, Director, Writer, Orchestrator, Ethnographer, Choreographer, Poet, Archivist, Forger, Curator, and Many Other Things First. Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane, Curatorial Practice at Monash University, Melbourne and Sternberg Press, 2018.
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