SUPPORTING single women who find themselves homeless is already proving a success for the new Wellington Homeless Women’s Trust.
Volunteer Frances Broatch says the women who come to the trust are precious.
“We look after them. It’s a time for them to focus on themselves,” Ms Broach said.
After getting a lot of requests for a facility that catered specifically for single women who found themselves homeless, the trust was created to meet that need.
Ms Broach said single women were often not the priority for other transitional accommodation places because they often favoured women with families.
It took nearly four years of planning and fundraising before the trust could open in July this year and it has been busy ever since.
There are five rooms in a communal environment which are available to women who are referred to the trust through places such as Women’s Refuge and the Downtown Community Mission.
While they are there, they are set up with everything they need to get and keep more permanent housing.
“The women are given the opportunity to stay for three months, but most don’t need that long,” said Ms Broatch.
She said once the women are there, they need to be given the support to find more permanent housing, so the trust works closely with organisations such as Housing New Zealand to make the move easier.
Working with the tenants this way is part of living with others in a supportive environment.
The trust is run by volunteers, and without government funding it relies on public donations. They have a buffer of two years funding and are continuing to fundraise to ensure a long-term future.
Ms Broatch said a huge part of their success is due to the team of volunteers who work for the trust and the skills they bring to help the women gain homes and jobs.
Labour MP for Rongotai Annette King is patron of the trust.