“We should not go back to life as we knew it, pre-Covid”, says Kieran Meredith, Wellington City Mission’s Media and Communications Manager. “It has presented us with a really exciting opportunity.”

He’s talking about the unprecedented service changes the Mission, in collaboration with other agencies, has rolled out for some of Wellington’s most vulnerable people recently.

In the five days following the announcement of national lockdown on March 25, an entirely new facility, Te Paapori, was opened to allow the full population of rough sleepers in Wellington City, to self-isolate safely. Te Paapori has 38 self-contained units, and is, in the words of City Missioner Murray Edridge, “a whare for the most vulnerable to call home.”

Creating Te Paapori

So how did they do it? Meredith explains, “Being able to house everyone that we did is a true testament to the collaboration that took place.”

Wellington City Mission worked closely with DCM (formerly Downtown Community Ministry), Wellington City Council, the Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to get everything ready to welcome their manuhiri (guests).  

The Mission’s dedicated team of Community Service Advocates have existing relationships with Wellington’s rough sleepers. They talked to each person individually, working through situations and listening carefully to concerns. The 38 units were soon full.

A skeleton staff

Alongside the important work of housing rough sleepers during COVID-19, Mission staff still had other services to provide. Demand for food parcels increased by 400% after one week in lockdown. Wellington City Mission staff had to meet this demand without a critical part of their workforce. “We were without volunteers throughout the COVID period,” Meredith says, “so all of this was done with minimal staffing, but we got through it.”

Demand for food parcels has now dropped down to more familiar levels, but weekly demand remains 5-10% higher than it was before the pandemic.

Building on a strong beginning

Te Paapori is only the start of the Mission’s ambitious plans for the future. Staff are hard at work on a housing plan for the Wellington region.

The Wellington Night Shelter building was gifted to the Mission this month, and will continue to house the homeless and rough sleepers, but under a different housing service delivery model. It will serve as one site to house manuhiri after the temporary lease at Te Paapori is due to end soon. 

A purpose-built supported living village is also planned. To be called Whakamaru, the complex of housing units will be a living, breathing community with access to all kinds of services, a café, and a social supermarket. Staff will live on site, alongside and on the same levels as manuhiri. “The heart of [Whakamaru] is ensuring we are creating a community where there is no us and them,” Meredith says.

A stepping stone

When asked about whether there’s been any standout feedback on the support and services offered during lockdown, Meredith is quick to remind me of the strength and resilience of Wellington’s most disadvantaged. “What we hear from people accessing our services, it’s put them in a good position to keep progressing on with their goals, and their life.” 

The Mission’s vision is focused on empowering people and communities. Meredith says, “Whatever role we play in helping people… we are just one stepping stone in that journey for them. We are not their final destination. Our goal is to help support them on their pathway forward, so they can enjoy fullness of life .”

By MaryRose Painter