City Mission
Matthew Mark, the CEO at City Mission, gave us a comprehensive overview of the services they provide.
His previous roles include CEO of Ronald McDonald and before that Regional Manager of the SBS Bank. He and his wife Sheila, a pastoral care worker, have four children ranging in age from 18 to 27. Matthew's key interests are based on the outdoors and include hiking, cycling and running. He has also completed a number of Coast to Coast events and admits to still having a competitive streak.
In addition to the Mission he is also involved in working with the Aspiring Youth programme which involves training kids with challenges in life skills leading to their completion of a Coast to Coast.
Mathew explained that the Food Bank is a vital part of the work the City Mission does. Last year they gave out 35000 parcels with each one being similar to a trolley full of groceries. The largest growth in demand came from working families with 2.5 kids. He sees this is a litmus test for the health of our community with these levels representing a 34.5% increase in food being given out compared to the past which strongly suggests there is something unhealthy going on.
Most families are hard grafters, cautious financially and simply cannot make ends meet. The problem is that the true cost of living vs wages is different to what we are often quoted.
While wages in recent times have increased 1.5%, the cost of living has increased 4. 5%. Matthew fells that what is a specially crippling is the rise in unforeseen costs.
In addition to the Food Bank the Mission works closely with families to help with their budgeting as food insecurity creates huge stress and tension which leads to unhealthy families as well as mental health issues. With the health system being stretched this tends to also increase the use of alcohol and drugs as self-medication.
Matthew shared that the Mission is very reliant on community charity. While the current Brown Paper Bag appeal is really helpful in providing mostly non-perishables, it is also especially valuable to receive perishables. Two great contributors to the Food Bank were also acknowledged: Foodstuffs (New World especially) supplies them with damaged stock and the Food Bag group gives food in reserve which is very useful for needy families and helps ensure they receive meat and vegetables.
He then told us one story of a client family’s father who cried when he was asked if they would like meat, chicken or fish with their food parcel. This demonstrated how much the Food Bank helps families who feel they are in dire straits.
Matthew next talked about the Mission’s two night shelters which can cater for 12 women and 30 men. This helps provide clients with a much needed meal, a shower and shelter for the night. With the current number of people on the street in Christchurch numbering around 200 he feels there is still a lot of additional support needed in this area. For those who come to the shelter staff always ask why they have come and what they can do for them. In helping meet the needs of the homeless the Mission partners with Housing First which helps find permanent housing for the chronic homeless and helps the Mission ensure that wrap around support is in place in order to meet multiple issues by putting them in touch with a services who can come and help.
Unlike what some people think, Matthew explained that they get very few freeloaders trying to use their services with most of the individuals who approach them really needing assistance. As part of the Christian values the City Mission is based on, staff never judge people but focus instead of looking at how best to help them.
The total number of people the City Mission’s services helped last year was 25,000. Matthew explained that in order to do this and ensure a more wraparound service, the Mission recently helped organise and got together a number of Social Services to look at how they can all can continue to grow their services to meet community needs. While Government organisations came to the party he was surprised that few NGOs fronted which reflected some patch protection. Fortunately these barriers are starting to break down.
With respect to medical and healthcare the biggest issues homeless bring include lice, damaged feet and teeth. To help here the Mission has partnered with support organisations in order to offer a clinic on a regular basis which includes access to the Free Hospital. This helps provide basic health care and the team is also actively seeking other groups to assist at these clinics.
As a result of the earthquakes there has been a significant increase in alcohol and drug related referrals resulting in wait lists for support. Matthew and his team are working hard to link these clients in with other support organisations.
In closing, Matthew explained that the Mission also provides day programs which focus more on socially isolated clients ranging from young mum's to some in their 80s. This program includes the opportunity for both social interaction plus structured support sessions.
Matthew demonstrated a real passion for his role as CEO and we wish him well as he continues to champion the ongoing work of the City Mission in supporting the needs of a wide variety of families and individuals in our city.