Council funding to help vulnerable women

Vulnerable women struggling to find secure housing will have a place to go to for help thanks to a Nelson City Council grant.

The council has announced a $100,260 grant has been awarded to the Nelson Women’s Centre to deliver a Housing Vulnerability for Women Project over the next two years.

The funding follows a confidential decision in July, where the council approved $250,000 from the Housing Reserve Fund for temporary/emergency housing provision for women, especially those with children.

A report to the council at the time said it would be the “most impactful option to reducing housing vulnerability with the limited council funding available through this project”.

The newly announced grant is the first part of that, with the rest of the funding “ring-fenced for housing projects for vulnerable people”, the council said in statement.

Nelson Women’s centre funding and partnership co-ordinator Augusta van Wijk said the grant would be used to hire a dedicated housing navigator to work alongside their social worker.

About 30% of the social worker’s case load involved women who had presented with a range of issues, including housing security, she said.

“And that doesn’t include the women we’ve had to refer elsewhere due to limited capacity.”

Van Wijk said often they had to refer people to other agencies for housing assistance, but this would allow them to help directly.

The navigator would provide information about housing options and how to access them and in some cases liaise with specialist agencies and connect women with the right services.

Women who are homeless, living in unsafe environments, or who have children living with them in unstable housing would be prioritised.

Women’s homelessness often went undetected, van Wijk said.

“A lot of them are either couch-surfing or living in situations that are not ideal for either themselves or their children.

“They may be reluctant to come forward and ask for help through some of the main services, whereas here at the Women’s Centre you don’t require a referral.”

Getting housing sorted was the foundation on which other life changes could be made, she said.

“Without good housing, without a safe roof over your head, you’re not in a position really to be empowered and flourish.”

The ultimate goal was to relocate to a bigger premises and offer transitional housing.

They were grateful the council had recognised the importance of early intervention, she said.

“We know well-being begins with a safe place to live and feeling connected to the community. This programme will strengthen our ability to respond effectively to women who need us most.”

The Housing Reserve Fund was established in 2021 following the divestment of council’s community housing portfolio. Proceeds were reserved to reinvest in social housing and to support community housing providers.

In 2024, the council expanded the purpose to support work to reduce housing vulnerability, with $250,000 earmarked for that purpose.

Mayor Nick Smith said the $12 million fund had been used to support the development of more than 115 one-to-four-bedroom homes, but it had identified a gap in specialist support for women.

“There is no single silver bullet for Nelson’s challenges with homelessness and we need multiple interventions.

“I’m hugely encouraged by how much new private-sector, state and community housing we are getting built in Nelson, but we also need well-targeted social services such as Housing First and this new Women’s Centre intervention to ensure every Nelsonian has a warm, dry home to live in.”

Nelson City councillor Sarah Kerby said the programme tackled a clear need.

“I would encourage our wāhine to get in contact with them if their housing situation becomes precarious or unsafe. They will find themselves in supportive hands that will help them get closer to finding somewhere safe and healthy to live.”

The funding comes a year after the Women’s Centre reopened following a closure to re-strategise amid funding struggles.

Van Wijk said their social worker was now funded by a private donor, and in the past year they had seen up to 300 women and delivered more than 1000 hours of support.

The centre is hosting a multi-cultural lunch on March 11.