Social Services
Foodbank, Nightshelter, Intake Social Worker, Budget Service, Walsh House
Foodbank
The Christchurch City Mission's food-bank is open between 9.00am and 12.30pm Monday to Friday. The Food-bank Co-ordinator carries out a brief interview with the client prior to allocating the necessary food. Free clothing and household items are also available if required.
Up to 20 free food parcels per client/family are distributed each week day. 30 food parcels per client/family per day are given out each December period with often Christmas treats included. Clients can only receive a maximum of 2 Mission food parcels in any 6 month period.
Food distributed to clients is mostly donated to the Mission by generous donors however some staple items have to be purchased.
Night shelter
The Mission 's Men's Emergency Night Shelter offers free short term dormitory style accommodation for men over 17 years of age. The Shelter opens at 5.00pm 7 days a week, 365 days a year and can accommodate up to 27 residents each night. A shower, hot dinner and a breakfast is then provided for these men who must then leave the shelter by 8.30am each morning. A super is also made available to marginalised single men in the community as a means of providing them with social interaction and social work support. Trained social work staff and community nurse are available to provide these men with any assistance that they require.
A free medical clinic, for the Night Shelter clients, is also available each Tuesday evening with a Doctor volunteering his/her time to the Mission.
Intake Social Worker
The Intake Social Worker provides a short term generic social work service to clients who present at the Mission with general life issues. An initial assessment is completed, information/advocacy given and then, if appropriate, a referral made to the appropriate Mission service, in most cases being the Budget and Advocacy Worker or Food-bank Co-ordinator.
Clients who present to the Intake Social Worker are usually very marginalised people/families with complex and varied issues.
However common issues often seen by the Intake Social Worker are:
People requesting assistance with power costs
People presenting with accommodation issues, particularly women and youth
Youth presenting with varying issues
People presenting with mental health issues
Offenders released from prison with no support
Client's not being able to access other social services for a variety of reasons. Quite frequently client's who present at the City Mission lack skills that would enable them to communicate their needs appropriately. This often results in them being stood down or banned from other services.
Physical health issues such as asthma in children
Budget Service
The Mission 's Budget and Advocacy Worker provides financial support and advocacy to clients.
Free short and long term banking facilities for clients is available who, for a variety of reasons, can not open a commercial bank account. Our Budget and Advocacy Worker can also help the client work out a financial plan for any debt repayment and bill payments.
The Budget Worker also educates and advocates for clients around financial issues, such as with WINZ, other creditors, power companies, landlords etc, to ensure clients receive all their entitlements and then understand their rights and responsibilities. This often involves the Mission receiving the client's benefit payment each week, and then paying this out in cash to them when they present in person.
Walsh House – Drop In and Social Work Service
Walsh House provides a drop in for women and children as well as a comprehensive social work service covering both group and individual work. It is open to all women especially those experiencing social isolation and those marginalized by society.
The women who access the service have experienced social isolation and poverty. At any given time, some women may be experiencing homelessness or living in substandard, unsafe circumstances.
The aim of the service is to assist these women to address their most urgent needs and to develop pro social skills which will allow them to participate more fully in their communities.
To this end Walsh House offers: practical assistance (showers and a washing machine), self development groups and an atmosphere of safety and respect for all who attend. The relationship with other City Mission services affords clients a full cover of services at their most vulnerable times.