New Zealand Red Cross and the Recovery Office are giving a little more hope to storm-impacted households across Tāmaki Makaurau who were displaced from their homes or have suffered great financial loss.
The Red Cross has been a generous Recovery Office partner right from the start, providing targeted funding to enable our storm recovery navigators (navigators) to offer additional support to storm-affected Aucklanders.
Thanks to the Red Cross’s most recent generous support, our navigators have been able to give over 50 households home bundles with essentials like bedding and furniture. And now the Red Cross has given us 50 more bundles, so our navigators can support more whānau and individuals in need.
Funding for the home bundles comes out of the New Zealand Red Cross Disaster Fund, which has helped support thousands of storm-impacted people across Tāmaki Makaurau and other affected regions.
The Red Cross designed the home bundles after seeing that many displaced and struggling individuals and whānau are now able to move back into their homes, but lack the basics like furniture and kitchenware, making the move a hard one.
The bundles contain items like beds, fridges, washing machines, sofas, and electric heaters, which are all new from the Warehouse. Each household also receives a $1000 Warehouse gift card to contribute to any other items they may need.
Our navigators work one-on-one with storm-impacted people every day, so they have been perfectly placed to identify those most in need of a helping hand. One of our partner navigators, Jocelyn, from Affirming Works has been able to order home bundles to struggling whānau and individuals. In just one of Jocelyn’s heartwarming stories, she says,
"I have found that many families say that they are doing fine when asked. However, when I respectfully ask a few more questions, this often reveals these families do indeed require support and are often going without essentials. The home bundles have proven to be vital for families, offering not just essential items but also a sense of reassurance that it's alright to ask for, and receive, help. The families I work with remind me to remain steadfast in our organisation’s endeavours to support them."
Group Community and Social Recovery Lead Linda Greenalgh says,
“We’re incredibly grateful to the Red Cross for enabling us to provide such practical support to whānau doing it so tough.”
Are you still struggling after the storms last year?
You don’t have to go through this alone.
Our navigators are here to support you to access help with housing, food, insurance, financial and legal advice, physical and mental health support, and understanding what’s happening with your home and what you need to do.
Get in touch by filling out our Navigator Referral Form, sending us an email at navigators@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz, phoning us at 09 884 2070 or visiting us at an upcoming drop-in clinic at a community facility near you.
Our free service is delivered through the Tāmaki Makaurau Recovery Office.
