By Six
The real thing that changes lives is housing.
Auckland City Mission’s multi-million dollar Homeground has opened after years of planning.
Homeground is a place of transformation and healing for people in greatest need.
Helen Robinson: Manutaki / Auckland City Missioner says Homeground is a long-held, precious dream that is finally a reality.
“For more than a decade, the Mission team and our supporters have been meticulously planning and building Homeground,” says Helen.
This purpose-built space is a thriving central city community hub, offering a wide range of services and facilities for people in greatest need while welcoming all of Auckland to enjoy the building.
Homeground brings together permanent housing, expanded health and social services, state-of-the-art addiction withdrawal services and facilities, and a comprehensive programme of activities in a warm and welcoming space.
A friend of mine is one of the first tenants to be offered a studio apartment and is now living in secure accommodation at Homeground after spending years in marginalised housing.
Dave Park’s (Te Ātiawa) brand new Homeground studio is a lovely bachelor pad any single person would be proud to call home.
Dave, says he had living with a mate who overdosed and died.
“That was pretty traumatic having your best mate die in front of you,” says Dave. “Having this place is great. There are days when I wake up and I’m like God, I haven’t been arrested. Life on the edge is no longer life on the edge. There’s nothing bad to say. I’ve never been like this, with my life semi-together.”
Our interview is interrupted by a fire at the complex and we had to reschedule.
Before resuming the interview with Dave I caught up with Linda Murphy, the Health and Social Services Coordinator at Homeground.
Linda gives us a tour of the 80 apartment complex.
Linda has seen massive changes in social services in her more than 20 years of service and believes we are definitely moving in the right direction.
A rooftop garden where residents help grow fresh vegetables seems like the perfect place to resume our interview with Dave.
“People come to me for someone to talk to and that’s the great thing about this place, you have to extend yourself,” says Dave. “You can’t ignore people, because we all live together.”
If it were not for Homeground Dave believes he would be in prison. He has had more than 15 visits to jail.
He was stealing from supermarkets to pay for a $1000 per week drug habit.
“I’m grateful to The Mission. Having this place is great. To be a part of a community is quite rewarding,” says Dave. “The future looks wonderful.”
Jacqui Dillon, General Manager, Brand Innovation & Income says whānau is part of the richness of the street community.
Says Jacqui, “People have one another’s backs,” says Jacqui. “They have squabbles, but they are always there for one another which is the piece that people don’t usually see.
“With Homeground apartments what we were very focused on in the design process was ‘what do people need to sustain housing? What matters to you?’ And the stuff that mattered was shared space. A space to come and go from. A space that creates a sense of belonging and home. We have almost 75 people over four floors and the majority of people are people who have not prior to this able to sustain housing.”
“So why now? Because the barrier to entry is low. Because there is support within arms reach. Because there is safety. Because there is easy access to health care. We are working with people to enable them to live their best lives. Everyone who walks through our doors had a dream as a five-year-old and it definitely wasn’t to be homeless.”
