A community-led organisation, Lifewise, is calling on the new government to make changes to better help whānau find a home.
With so many homeless people across the country, Lifewise is challenging the government to “look after our people better”.
Kataraina Ruatara, who has been with Lifewise for the past seven years, has lived experience in the streets, looking after her family at a young age and has words of advice for those who are struggling or feeling neglected.
“Kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui. Kia tau te rangimārie. Stay with the living, it ain’t gonna get better if you aren’t here,” she says.
Lifewise statistics show that support is needed within the community for homeless people and those in a minority demographic. The statistics show whānau in Auckland central who accessed support with Lifewise Merge Community increased nearly 100% from 321 in 2022 to 623 in 2023.
Ruatara says to get a better understanding of what such people go through, they had to be open to them.
“My first thing would be to acknowledge. Sometimes it’s not what we can say. A lot of it can be what we can do. They’ve heard it all. So don’t say anything. Just sit with them. Or if you’re not up to that speed yet, sit in their environment, away from them. Feel what they’re feeling, feel their environment, that wind, that traffic, that people that rush,” she says.
Lifewise is urging all political parties to move ‘beyond being an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff’ and instead work towards driving systems change across sectors from housing to education, employment, health, mental health and addiction, and social security – benefits and abatement., to address these pressing issues.
Lifewise chief executive Haehaetu Barrett says, “Whichever government comes in, you have to come into services like this, to see the reality of the people we serve. You have to go down to Auckland City Mission and see the reality of the people we serve.”
Lifewise is a community-based social development organisation focused on helping homeless families and people, through cafes, and housing to see them stand strong again. But for Barrett, no matter who runs the country after the elections, there are still struggles on the ground.
“For our government, look after our people... For our people kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui,” Ruatara says.
“They’re making a lot of promises on how they can initiate change but I know after next week these services will still be required. I know after Christmas these services will still be required,” Barrett says.