on Aug 12, 19

Home and hope for women experiencing homelessness

Wellington Women’s House is one of The Good Registry's amazing partner charities, providing short-term accommodation for any woman-identifying individual who is experiencing homelessness. In 2018 alone, they housed and supported 46 women who were experiencing homelessness and all the stress that comes with it.

As well as providing emergency tenancy for up to six months, they provide support through counselling, doctors visits, financial hardship, job hunting, and finding a new place to call home.

Brooklynne Michelle, a WWH support worker, sees their role as “not only to provide a temporary place for women, but to help provide them a place to rebuild themselves, to grow into a new self if that’s what they want, and relieve much of the stress and frustrations of homeless.”

The WWH works on a self-referral basis and is one of the few agencies in New Zealand to do that. This means that women can be referred by a doctor, Work and Income, the Ministry of Social Development, a social worker, a friend or family member, or by themselves. This allows WWH to help women who may not meet the the usual criteria for receiving assistance, rather than them falling through the cracks.

Considering itself a “mini United Nations” WWH has no religious affiliation and tries to be as multi-cultural as possible. With an age range of 18–82, WWH tries to make each woman feel supported, loved and cherished. 

Brooklynne says, “For an hour or half a day or whatever, they can shrug off all the stress of homelessness, they don’t have to worry about where they’re going to sleep when their tenancy ends or how they’re going to afford to pay rent, they can just enjoy a movie, or laugh at the capybaras, or blow out the birthday cake that they weren’t expecting.”

Donations made through The Good Registry can help the Wellington Women’s House achieve these little moments of happiness, as well as freshen up the essentials around the house, or to throw a Christmas party for current and past residents. Each donation has a huge impact on making lives better, and keeping the doors of this charity open.

If you would like to hear more about the Wellington Women’s House, you can visit their website, or if you’d like a simple way to support them to improve the lives women experiencing homelessness, you can do that at The Good Registry, by pledging a birthday or other event, or with Good Gift Cards.

 We have created two simple ways to give:

  • Create your own Good Registry for a special event (e.g. a wedding or a birthday) and ask friends to donate to a charity you choose, instead of buying gifts.
  • Give Good Gift Cards instead of traditional gifts, to enable others to make donations to charities they care about.

You can hear from people who have used Good Registries and Good Gift Cards to help charities like Wellington Women’s House, on our inspirational Giving Wall.

 

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