Every day at Lifewise, we have the privilege of walking alongside people on their journeys as they discover their strengths and find true hope and joy in life.
We walk alongside young children, taking their first steps towards becoming a young adult. We walk alongside parents and children and siblings, supporting them towards a happy family life together. We walk alongside people who find themselves unable to escape the vicious cycle of homelessness, supporting them to find a home and rediscover their whanau. We walk alongside older people and people living with a disability, supporting them to live a life of dignity and independence.
But most of all, Lifewise encourages interdependence rather than independence or dependence. We look forward to the support and generosity of so many New Zealanders, thanks to whom so many lives are turned around every day, and without whom so many people would lose hope.
So to celebrate the past year and look towards the new one with new hope and joy, here are the most popular stories from 2018. They are, by no measure, a complete picture of the many lives that have been transformed thanks to your support. To see more, please follow LifewiseNZ on your favourite social media platform, be it Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and now also Pinterest.
Thank you so much for your ongoing support and for helping to create connected, just, and inclusive communities.
“I want them to get their childhood back,” says Margaret, who has been a Lifewise Carer for 10 years. Margaret is one of many generous people who open up their homes and their hearts for children who need a safe and happy home away from the one they were born in. Every day, we are grateful for their profound generosity and unwavering support, but Foster Care Awareness Week (5-11 March) is a chance to share their stories with everyone.
“Some people think we are just here for providing meals for the homeless, but the food is [only one] element in the whole equation.” Diners at our first-ever Merge & Dine event got to know the whole story. Watch this video to know more.
“Today I launched the Housing First programme which aims to end homelessness in Rotorua,” said Hon Nanaia Mahuta, Minister for Māori Development seen here with Haehaetu Barrett, Lifewise Rotorua Service Manager, and Hon Steve Chadwick, Rotorua Mayor. 📸 courtesy www.nanaiamahuta.org.nz
The program is a partnership of LinkPeople, Lifewise, and Taumata o Ngāti Whakaue Trust, and is in recognition of World Homeless Day. Find out more about Housing First here.
Hon Tracey Martin and Gráinne Moss visited our Supported Living youth housing units. The Supported Living Program is a joint initiative between Lifewise and Oranga Tamariki that supports young people exiting foster care, and helps them achieve independence. This was such an amazing opportunity for our rangatahi to meet and talk with the Minister for Children and the CE of Oranga Tamariki, so they could see and hear first-hand the positive outcomes of the Supported Living programme. Watch this video to know more.
TĒNĀ KOUTOU KATOA! Thank you so much to all the volunteers who joined Ira Mata, Ira Tangata: Auckland’s Homeless Count. In these pictures are staff from Lifewise and Airedale Property Trust, joining the hundreds of volunteers who spent Monday night visiting areas where people are regularly living without shelter (on the street and in cars).
The area covered was vast, including Wellsford in the north and Waiuku in the south. And thanks to your help, we will be able to support more people into homes and make homelessness in Auckland rare, brief and non-recurring.
As we mentioned earlier, this is by no measure a complete picture of the many hopeful changes that you are helping to create. To see more, please follow LifewiseNZ on your favourite social media platform, be it Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and now also Pinterest.
Thank you so much for your ongoing support and for helping to create connected, just, and inclusive communities.
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