Helen's Message

As I reflect on the last year at the Mission, I am humbled by Aotearoa’s unwavering support of our mahi and I am immensely proud of what we have been able to achieve together through another challenging year. 

While the peak of the pandemic may be behind us, we’ve seen enormous hardship caused by the escalating cost of living and the continued housing crisis. 

With you by our side, we have continued to support those in greatest need with nutritious food, pathways to housing, trauma-informed medical care and a welcoming community, 365 days a year. 

Thanks to your generosity, we could respond rapidly to the immense need in our city after the devastating January floods and Cyclone Gabrielle, getting food and supplies to people who had been affected.  

Our first full year in HomeGround has filled me with hope. We have seen how this innovative model of social support is helping to transform lives.  

One of the gifts of HomeGround is that people can access a comprehensive range of social services in one place.  A person can come in for support with housing and then simply walk down the laneway for a nourishing meal and a hot shower. Tenants in the apartments just need to get the lift down to the Calder Health Centre for medical support or to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription. Through this integrated services model, people are better able to access and sustain their housing and journey to wellness. 

We now have tenants in all of the HomeGround apartments, and in April, they celebrated their first year living in HomeGround. Recognising the acute need for supportive housing like this, we are rapidly growing a portfolio of managed apartments in central Auckland in order to support more people into safe, permanent homes.   

The official opening of HomeGround was one of the many things we had to celebrate this year: from our biggest ever Christmas food and gift service, the graduation of 18 kaimahi from the Indigenous Growth Leadership wānanga to the launch of our new fundraising event, The Big Mission Home. 

To you, our supporters, thank you. We are incredibly fortunate to be held up by so many hands across Aotearoa. It is your kindness and compassion that enables us to open our doors every day to reach out to, and to welcome in, those in greatest need.