Published on 2nd of May, 2022
Housing First has begun weekly pop-up events at The Commons Gap Filler site to engage with Kaewa and provide services for those experiencing homelessness in the city.
“We’re excited to have Housing First here” says Linda Glasgow from Gap Filler. “People experiencing homelessness in the city often come through this site so it’s nice to have an established place that they can come to and feel like they have some ownership over.”
Weekly activities will include outreach services and creative pursuits. Housing First’s Community Development worker Jono Kitt says it’s all about engaging with Kaewa and those experiencing homelessness to provide them with a space where they can feel comfortable to access services, connect and express their creativity.
Tuesday’s activities include art and games and on Wednesday’s Christchurch City Libraries brings their mobile library van along, as well as kai and jam sessions.
Jono is looking to expand further to bring more services onsite. “Many of our Kaewa might not feel comfortable accessing services such as a library in the community for different reasons, so being able to bring those services to them here in an environment that is familiar and feels safe is so important and breaks down many barriers.”
One of these services is Christchurch City Libraries mobile library van, which will be at the site weekly to ensure Kaewa can access library services.
As the lead organisation for Housing First Christchurch, The Christchurch Methodist Mission is proud to support their ongoing work to make homelessness in Christchurch rare, brief, and non-recurring.
