Shannon* had been receiving food parcels from Visionwest’s Pātaka Kai to help her through a really tough time. Shannon is a single mum who, whilst looking for work, found herself struggling to make ends meet. Rising living costs and increasing rent...
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Jody’s Story – Community Connection
Jody* is too unwell and vulnerable to work but in order to access the government support she needs, she had to complete an online application form. For Jody this was a major barrier. She doesn’t own a computer and has no idea what an online form...
COVID Revisited – Need, Isolation and Hope
Last week Brook Turner, VisionWest Community Trust’s Head of Services Development and Partnerships, was interviewed on Rhema. The following blog was written using information from that interview. In it, Brook explains about COVID stress and the...
A place of transformation
At Visionwest we understand that most people in need require more than just one service. The challenge is to determine the specific type of support required and to deliver it in a way that builds hope and trust. The Matapuna Whānau Centre is the...
Raising the bar on budgeting
The increased number of whānau accessing the services of Visionwest, coupled with the ongoing negative economic effects of COVID have led to unprecedented demand on our Budgeting Service – in fact, we’ve had to stop taking on new clients for three...
Jason’s* Budgeting Story
When I got out of prison, I promised myself I’d never go back. My biggest problem was an old debt that I’d been unable to repay while I was inside. That’s when I got in touch with VisionWest Budgeting. I told them I wanted to honour the lender and...
Visionwest Response to Budget 2020
Lisa Woolley, CEO of VisionWest Community Trust responded to the budget by saying, “We are pleased to see the Government’s response for those most in need in our community at this time, many of whom have never before experienced such financial and...
Pātaka Kai Lockdown Challenge
The Pātaka Kai Lockdown Challenge: Over 3,000 Food Parcels As New Zealand moved into lockdown on Wednesday March 25, the immediate challenge for the Pātaka Kai was how to distribute parcels to whānau in need of food, at a time when that need...
A Day in the Life of Debbie Griffiths, Financial Mentor, VisionWest Budgeting Service
Everyone knows someone who isn’t making ends meet. It’s not just caused by alcohol, drugs, gambling, or bad spending habits. It could be health issues, dissolved marriages, loss of income, or high rental and living costs. These challenges break...
Karen’s Story
What do you do when your partner gets you into debt, and you’re falling prey to overpriced “home shopping trucks” to get essentials at ridiculous mark-ups? Recently we helped a client at VisionWest who had been referred to us by a mental health...