Homelessness: A Lot Closer To Home Than You Think

When there is a problem as significant as homelessness, various paths need to be undertaken in order to address the issue. This is largely why the Wellington Homeless Women’s Trust was setup, as a helping hand to women who found themselves without a home. “The majority of women we work with are intelligent, caring and kind women who are just looking for a fresh start on life and would like to be productive members of society but need people to give them the opportunity to do this.”

Giving individuals the opportunity to transition back into society is something that requires time and support; something that Lifewise, the organisation that is helping the Hemara girls, is aware of. They support around 120 people a month providing them with accommodation and helping them lead healthy, independent lives.

Chief Executive Moira Lawler said Lifewise uses a Housing first approach, something that has been successful in the US. “Housing First addresses people’s immediate need for housing first, then once they are safely housed, addresses any underlying issues such as mental health and addiction problems, which may be underpinning their homelessness,” she said. “We don’t consider sanity or sobriety a prerequisite to being able to have a home, and as a result, those we have helped into housing have made great progress.”

Helping individuals find shelter and fit themselves back into society is what the various programmes hope to do. Of course, this is by no means cut-and-dried. Not only is there a shortage of homes available, but everybody knows that you can not help someone unless they are willing to accept that help. Something homeless outreach team leader for the Auckland City Mission Ilana James is no stranger to. Having been at the forefront of assisting the homeless for four years, Ilana understands the importance of letting people know that they are there and ready to help whenever the individual is ready to accept it.

These people need help getting housed she said, but they also need to learn life skills and how to manage a house. Many of the people that are homeless have been for a majority of their lives so they are in need of assistance to live their lives.

“These people want to have a good life just like anybody else. They want to do well, look after their children. It’s no different… I think part of what we try and do is really connect in with people and start to understand their story, start to understand the reasons why [they are homeless].” The most important thing about homelessness is understanding that everybody does have their own story, something that Ilana wishes people would consider.

When people see homelessness, it can be quite uncomfortable, she said. Walking to your office job and seeing someone who isn’t dressed very well, with a cup asking for money. It’s different, so people don’t necessarily know how to cross that barrier but at the end of the day, everyone has their own reason for being on the street.

“I guess [people] worry about safety. People feel unsafe because there is someone sleeping down the road from them. They just happen to be living their life in public because they are homeless and they can’t live it behind four walls.”

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Finding these individuals a place to call home is not easy. With a shortage in homes available, Ilana hopes that in the near future we will see more homes become available in order to assist in homelessness and in turn help solve the problem.

In the meantime? “[We need] supported accommodation and supportive landlords, angel landlords even, who will be able to work with agencies to help house some of our vulnerable people and not show and immediate punitive response when things don’t go that great. Reality is there are always going to be bumps in the road.”

The young girl you see sitting on the street corner is someone’s daughter, someone’s granddaughter and perhaps someone’s sister. The man you see on the park bench fighting to keep his dog fed and warm, is just caring for his pet and trying to live a life, which just happens to be in public. She is not necessarily a rebellious teen making her life harder and he is not just sitting there trying to get money for his next hit.

Everyone has the right to live in security, peace and dignity, however this is not always possible. Next time you are walking down the road and pass a woman, man or child lying on a flattened cardboard box with a blanket over their head, consider that they probably have a past that many of us could never begin to understand. Rather than walking around them, or glaring down in disgust and distaste, remember they have a story.

This piece featured in the May/June edition of M2 Woman. If you enjoyed it and want to read more stories like this subscribe, check out our subscription offers.