Addiction, domestic violence, poverty and homelessness cases are all trending upwards, says Auckland city missioner Helen Robinson. Photo: RNZ Insight / Sarah Robson
Homelessness can take up to 30 years off someone's life - it affects physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
New Zealanders in desperate need of a roof over their heads are increasing with services such as the Auckland City Mission providing a literal lifeline.
Auckland city missioner Helen Robinson said it has been a humbling 10 months since Home Ground opened its doors on Hobson St.
A one-stop social services shop for the city's most vulnerable people, Robinson said, while she was incredibly proud of the progress made, the need was a lot more than what they can meet.
Addiction, domestic violence, poverty and homelessness cases are all trending upwards, and while Auckland City Mission does everything possible to help, they are limited by funding.
The stressful season
Christmas can create an incredible amount of stress for families and this year is set to be a busy one for the mission.
Robinson said the demand they see at Christmas continues to grow.
"Many New Zealanders simply don't have enough money for food, something that is deeply disturbing and distressing."
She said it was not just the unemployed feeling the pinch.
"People are working permanently and it is still not enough, there is only so much in a weekly budget."
Prior to Covid-19, the mission was providing 450 food parcels a week for families.
This rose to more than 2000 at the height of the pandemic and the need has not dropped.
"That is about three million meals a year, more and more people just cannot manage. Even some families with two parents, both working one or two jobs each, still cannot make ends meet."
Head of fundraising and reputation Deborah Ward said last year they delivered 10,000 parcels of food in the weeks leading up to Christmas and 40,000 gifts for tamariki.
She anticipated an even greater need in 2022 and would rely on the community to fill it.
"Food and toy donations are absolute gold at Christmas."
People can donate to collection points at Auckland Libraries, at HomeGround on Hobson St or money can be donated online.
"We know where the need is greatest whether its baked beans or a pavlova," Ward said.
Consequences of Colonisation
Māori make up for about 60 percent of the people who engage at the mission, a shocking over representation for what amounts to just 10 percent of the population.
"I am incredibly conscious we are seeing the impact of colonisation," said Robinson.
"When you strip people of their land and resources, this is the result."
Robinson said it is deeply incumbent on her to mirror the impact so everyone can see the truth and we need to continually call our country to account.
"The level of racism I sometimes see is revolting but more and more New Zealanders are coming to understand the harm that has occurred."
Māori women are among the most most vulnerable members of our community, she said.
"They have been silenced and marginalised like no other group in our society. There is a real challenge to be appropriately responding to the needs of people particularly Māori."
Ward said they have taken a very active approach to support Māori.
"We need to make sure they feel connected, comfortable and welcome."
Killer Streets
Robinson said the impacts of homelessness were significant.
"It affects us on every level of our being from practical, where do you wash yourself or put your clothes, to not feeling safe. Imagine what it's like for every moment of every day to have no place to know you are safe."
Lives could be curt short by decades due to living on the street, she said.
"People who have suffered homelessness for many years, their body is 20-30 years older."
The average age of street community members at HomeGround die at age 50, 30 years earlier than the national average lifespan.
They struggle to cultivate and maintain relationships, employment, battle drug and alcohol abuse and neglect health.
Robinson said they were responding to the reality of addiction on a daily basis.
Detox facilities at HomeGround are regularly at capacity.
Robinson said the response time from the health sector for addiction sufferers is not efficient enough.
"There are weeks of waiting, which is madness when people are brave enough to say I need some help, we want to be able to react immediately."
Robinson believed most Kiwis knew there was just not enough support available.
While as a country we had much to be proud of, there was also a lot that we needed to address, she said.
"We need to be brave and step into our own shadows. One of those is acknowledging the number of people that are homeless and hungry.
"That women are bearing that burden. We desperately need to have those honest conversations. What does it mean to use alcohol safely? The significance, impact and amount of domestic violence. It's just too much. The only way out is if everyone is talking about this."
She said one in six New Zealanders needed this kind of support and we were all just two or three life events away from that reality.
Hope at HomeGround
Ward said while it was wonderful the Auckland City Mission had served those in need for 102 years, it was also hard to know that their services were needed and would be for a the foreseeable future.
It provided a place for transformation and healing, she said.
"This is our place in the city, the building is beautiful, dignified and fit for purpose."
HomeGround has tenanted almost all of its 80 apartments.
"For some, a permanent, safe, home has been a long time coming."
Every brick of the building had been given, and HomeGround was built on the generosity of Aucklanders, she said.
"It's incredibly humbling to know we have the support of Auckland in many different ways."
Robinson said there was plenty of systemic work to be done.
"We expect the growing need to continue, homelessness is a constant feature on the Auckland landscape. People don't live on the street for fun, they do it because it is their only option."
Ward said building trust with the people they support was key.
"Life has been hard beyond what many of us could imagine. They have been let down by system after system from justice, health, family, and school."
She said people needed to be treated with respect and understanding.
"We are seeing the ongoing affects of poverty, trauma and people just not having enough."