Housing First is coming to Blenheim and the Christchurch Methodist Mission is pleased to be the lead organisation.

Housing First is an internationally-recognised model of housing and wrap-around support that houses people who are long-term homeless, without the need to be sober or drug free. It recognises it is easier for people to address issues, such as mental health problems and addiction, once they are housed. Some 80 percent of people who receive Housing First services internationally retain their housing and do not return to homelessness. The goal of Housing First Blenheim is straightforward: instances of homelessness will be rare, brief and non-recurring. Its strength lies in the collaborative approach to providing support to help people stay in their homes and never return to homelessness. Housing First Blenheim is a collaboration between Gateway Housing Trust, St Marks Addiction Centre, Maataa Waka Ki Te Tau Ihu Trust and the Christchurch Methodist Mission. CMM is also the lead organisation in Housing First Christchurch.Blenheim has a significant housing problem. The Ministry of Social Development’s social housing register records 132 people in Marlborough as urgently needing housing, as of last December. The number of homeless in Marlborough has tripled in the last three years. Of the number of homeless people, just over half need one-bedroom homes, indicating the need for housing for single people.

Winter 2019

The Christchurch Methodist Mission already provides emergency housing in Blenheim for families but points to the need to house individuals and the provision of wrap-around support to help them sustain a tenancy.

“We’re already supporting families in Blenheim but single men is the group that needs particular support,” Jill Hawkey, Christchurch Methodist Mission Executive Director says.

“Lack of housing supply in Blenheim and the increase in rent are real problems. It’s clear there is a significant housing crisis in Blenheim. The emergency housing services offered by CMM provide a stop-gap measure. Housing First Blenheim will enable people who are long term homeless to get a warm, affordable, safe house in the near future.”

Housing First Blenheim will also offer broad housing support for those who do not need intensive support to retain their tenancies.

Housing First Blenheim is in the process of appointing staff.

Cycles of HopeCMM to lead Housing First Blenheim

Single men are most prevalent among the homeless of Blenheim. CMM is to lead the Housing First initiative in the town.

Next month, a Christchurch man will mark a year since he left life on the street and was offered a rental house through innovative social housing and support programme, Housing First Christchurch.

He is still in his house a year later and is proud of his achievement. His lease was recently renewed for another year, which also gives him time to connect to his community and continue being supported by his Housing First key worker.

To date, the number of homeless people, known as kaewa, still in Housing First Christchurch homes has reached 40. Housing First Christchurch aims to house 100 kaewa by the middle of next year.

The Christchurch Methodist Mission is one of the six organisations running Housing First Christchurch. We’re proud to be its lead organisation and see Housing First Christchurch as another way in which we demonstrate our belief that everybody has the right to a warm, affordable and secure home.

Housing First Christchurch is an internationally-recognised model with the aim of ensuring instances of long-term homelessness are little more than rare, brief and non-recurring.

In September 2017, 170 men and 20 women in Christchurch were without homes and sleeping rough. People who have been homeless for a year or more, or had experienced four or more episodes of homelessness in the past three years qualify for Housing First support.

“We’ve seen kaewa turn their lives around simply because they’ve got a secure place to call home,” Housing First Christchurch team leader Nicola Fleming says.

One year off the street and in a house Three kaewa are now employed and one is training to be a social worker. Without the security of a roof over their heads, this would have been impossible. “We see the change in their lives: the confidence that kaewa develop, the responsibility of looking after a property and then the determination to improve their lives further and connect with a new community.”

“It’s also our job as Housing First Christchurch to help dispel the myths about homelessness and remove the stigma that homeless people face.”

People find themselves on the street for numerous reasons, often the consequence of a single upsetting or traumatic event. If drug or alcohol addiction were not the cause of homelessness, they may well become another issue that the person has to contend with.

The success of the programme nation-wide has prompted the government to invest $197m

Housing First Christchurch is about to mark a year of housing Christchurch’s kaewa, or homeless.

Help the Christchurch Methodist Mission help others

My gift is $________ Please tick payment method: Cheque Credit Card Internet BankingCard Number: ___ ___ ___ ___ | ___ ___ ___ ___ | ___ ___ ___ ___ | ___ ___ ___ ___Visa Mastercard Expiry Date: ___ ___ | ___ ___Name on Card: ____________________________________ Signature: ____________________________________Account no. for internet banking is 02-0800-0766258-00. Please put “DONATION” in Reference Field.Name: ___________________________________________ Phone: __________________________________________Address: _______________________________________________________________________________________________Email: __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Please send me information about leaving a gift in my Will to the Christchurch Methodist Mission Please return this form to: CMM Fundraising, FREEPOST 2143, PO Box 5416, CHRISTCHURCH 8542You can also donate online by visiting www.mmsi.org.nz/donate

Several times a year, we receive a box of hand-knitted woollen and second-hand clothes from Greymouth for whānau supported by CMM.

We’re very grateful for the support. Winter woollies are particularly welcome at this time

Thank you to Greymouth Uniting Parish

of year and we know a number of children and babies are kept warm throughout Christchurch winters because of their efforts. Thanks a lot, Lorraine, for overseeing donations, and to all the other women who provide clothes.

Some of the wonderful knitters: Marie Lucas, Elinor Whitmore, Avis Harper, Helen Flintoft, Lorraine Hilton.

more into it, which will enable over 1000 more people across the country to be supported by Housing First.

If you have a one or two bedroom rental property, please consider leasing it to Housing First. We take responsibility for your property and manage it on your behalf. We guarantee

rent for the duration of the lease, visit tenants weekly and do not charge management fees. In doing so, you play a key role in reducing the rate of homelessness in our city.

For more information, please visit www.housingfirstchch.co.nz.

Dozens of people, young and old, headed out into gardens and parks in the weeks leading up to Easter for the CMM fundraiser, My Easter Egg Hunt.

My Easter Egg Hunt raised $3000 for low income families around Ōtautahi/Christchurch who require services offered by CMM.

The idea was simple. Chocolate Easter eggs were produced and sold for Easter egg hunts, with hunt organisers requesting sponsorship from people who took part.

Fundraising manager Dave Marsh said My Easter Egg Hunt could not have taken place without the support of Trade Aid and She Universe both of which offered time and resources to produce 3500 delicious eggs. Trade Aid supplied the fair trade chocolate which She Universe melted to create the eggs.

My Easter Egg Hunt 2019 – over $3000 raised

Our eggs were used by Black Cat Cruises for its annual Quail Island Easter egg hunt.

“This campaign ticked all the boxes,” Dave says. “It used ethically produced chocolate, which benefitted cacao growers in economically poor countries, and the talents of a local chocolate making company. Volunteers spent a fun evening wrapping the eggs and the proceeds of the sale and sponsorship will make a real difference in the lives of Canterbury families.”

We thank you for your support and will let you know when eggs are ready for next year’s hunt.

Lily-Jane and Archer enjoy the spoils of a My Easter Egg Hunt 2019 at Rangiora

My Easter Egg Hunt was made possible by:

Rising power prices makes heating homes hardWith winter comes the cold but do we necessarily turn up the heating?

Many in our city don’t. The rising cost of electricity has made heating a luxury and something families often forgo.

The social services team at the Christchurch Methodist Mission sees the effect of high power prices on low income families a lot at this time of year. It is a significant problem for many families, poor families disproportionately so.

“Families with limited incomes might have to rely on food parcels to pay the electricity bill. Some live in private rentals that have not had earthquake repairs, which makes them hard to heat or which don’t have cheap forms of heating,” Eve Lafferty, team manager says.

“You can’t control the rent you pay and budgets are really tight. People accrue debt through electricity costs, as well,” Eve says.

A government report late last year said more than 100,000 New Zealand households spent more than 10 per cent of their income on their electricity bills in 2016. Residential power prices rose 79 per cent since 1990 (figures adjusted for inflation).

The Government’s Winter Energy Payment is made to beneficiaries and pensioners to help offset the cost of power in winter but excludes

working people on low incomes. If you receive the Winter Energy Payment and have the means to pay your power bill comfortably without it, we encourage you to donate your payment to families in financial hardship.

Eve’s team alone works with over 500 Christchurch families. One lives in a privately rented house in which earthquake work has still not been done. Even with holes in the wall, it was not deemed bad enough to be condemned. The family is now heading into winter with a young child who has a disability.

The Ministry of Health says warm rooms and sleeping spaces means germs such as strep throat are less likely to spread. Some New Zealanders are eligible for subsided insulation or for help from Work and Income to keep homes warm and healthy.

CMM advises families on sources of financial support, organisations that offer energy-saving and heating advice, and help with budgeting.

If your winter heating bill is manageable and you’d like to donate your Winter Energy Payment, please consider offering it to a family supported by CMM. To do so, contact Fundraising Manager Dave Marsh at davem@mmsi.org.nz or 027 241 8825

The cost of electricity is too much for some families who will forfeit heating this winter

PO Box 5416Christchurch 8542(03) 375 1470

info@mmsi.org.nzwww.mmsi.org.nz

ChristchurchMethodistMission

@ChChMethodistMn

The Christchurch Methodist Mission now has a full complement of workers for the Canterbury-wide pupil well-being service, Mana Ake (Stronger for Tomorrow).

Mana Ake is another way in which CMM demonstrates its commitment to the children of Canterbury. The workers, known as kaimahi, visit children upon referral from schools. All 11 CMM kaimahi are now in place and visiting school children every day. CMM has also employed a cluster leader, or kaiarahi, and a practice leader to support this work.

The government-funded service is available to all Canterbury and Kaikōura primary and intermediate schools. It supports whānau, schools and communities to work together to promote wellbeing, so that children thrive, and are engaged and learning at school.

In total, 80 Mana Ake kaimahi and kaiarahi have been employed. Kaimahi bring different skills and disciplines, such as backgrounds as teachers, counsellors and social workers. Some are without formal qualifications but have experience and passion for working with children and young people.

CMM practice leader Anna Pope says Christchurch social service agencies have

worked well together since the earthquakes, with a strong focus on collaboration between services and supporting families.

The large number of Canterbury children needing mental health services and the long wait for support prompted the need for a new mental health and well-being service.

In addition to being well-funded and well-supported, Mana Ake is exciting, says Anna. “We’ve now got 80 more pairs of eyes on children in the community – the expertise and support of many more people than we would have had otherwise.”

Mana Ake could result in lasting change in our community and has the potential to become a nationwide scheme, she says.

Schools have praised Mana Ake. One described CMM Mana Ake kaimahi Julie Best as being warm and empathetic, particularly in the wake of a serious incident at the school. One cluster of schools said the role of Mana Ake on March 15 had been “unbelievable”.

One CMM kaimahi, Izzy Horton, says, “The children build a connection with you and they value you being there. You’re a third person to talk and connect with and ensure they’re getting the right services.”

New CMM Mana Ake kaimahi in schools

CMM Mana Ake kaimahi (front row): Eve, Jo, Izzy, Becky, Greta, Dylan; (back row): Alisha, Anna (team leader), Julie, Anna. Absent: Jonathan, Hannah, Malcolm (kaiarahi)