Te Puea Memorial Marae will once again open its doors to families in need this winter.
Social Housing Minister Amy Adams says the government will provide $125,000 for five modular cabins on site and will include support services and rental subsidies for the five places.
Adams says, “We’ve been clear that we all need to work together to address the challenges our communities face. Our partnership with Te Puea will see five cabins open for families next week.”
Last year the community of Te Puea banded together with the help of volunteers and donations to assist vulnerable families in south Auckland.
The Manaaki Tangata programme began in 2016 and was expected to last 3 weeks, but due to high demand for assistance the initiative lasted more than 3 months.
Te Puea Marae chairman Hurimoana Dennis has continued to outline concern that homelessness and poverty were still major problems in the region.
According to Associate Social Housing Minister Alfred Ngaro, “Te Puea will provide support to Mangere families to help them get back on their feet and will continue to support them once they’ve moved on to help them manage that transition.”
The marae is expected to provide support to Mangere families over the next 6 months.
Last year Te Puea Marae and its chairman were honoured for their community care for the homeless and influencing government policies to better care for the homeless.