Charity plans to break cycles of dependency

For immediate release
7 August 2007

Charity for the homeless announces plans to break cycles of dependency

A New Zealand charity with a 150 year history of providing support for homeless people has today announced plans to implement a bold new client service model designed to break the cycles of ‘homelessness’.

For several years Methodist Mission Northern, which has operated in Auckland for more than 155 years and is linked to affiliated social service agencies across New Zealand, has been a key player in addressing the underlying issues of homelessness. Now the organisation is taking a big step in creating what it is calling a “pathway out of homelessness”.

The Mission’s proposed new client service model, developed after extensive research into homelessness in New Zealand, is a first for a New Zealand charity, and involves extending the services it provides for the homeless community to encompass prevention and transitional support for clients, as well as meeting their basic day-to-day needs.

John Murray, Director of Methodist Mission Northern, says evidence has shown that the charitable service model of ‘hand outs’, which has historically been the basis of the agency’s shelter for homeless people in Auckland, can perpetuate dependency in clients.

“Time and experience has shown that simply providing primary services or accommodation for homeless people, without helping them break their cycles of dependency, will not enable them to effectively transition back into mainstream society, as often basic life skills and anti-social behaviour issues compound successful integration.”

“While our Airedale Community Centre will continue to meet the immediate needs of our clients, which includes critical services such as food and clothing, the new model we’ve developed will fill a significant gap in service provision across the region when it comes to preventing homelessness and helping homeless people integrate back into the community. We will be preparing people for being successfully housed,” he adds.

The re-creation of the Mission’s Airedale Community Centre will be rolled out in stages, beginning with the employment of specialist ‘advocate workers’ who will work closely with the Mission’s clients to develop ‘Pathways’ to determine their needs and assist them in goal setting.

The Centre will remain the lead provider of primary services for homeless people in the city, while at the same time working collaboratively with agencies to provide services that support people to develop the necessary life skills and personal capabilities to be able to move onwards with their lives.

The services are likely to be provided in four broad categories, such as:

 Health and wellness
 Life skills
 Social Service advocacy and support
 Job training and employment support

ENDS

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