Wellington City Mission receives $10 million for new building with social supermarket and housing units
Monday, 28 September 2020
Wellington City Mission’s future community hub has received $10 million from the Government.
The charitable trust, which has been based in Wellington’s Newtown, helps people in need with housing, food parcels, budget advice and advocacy.
As part of the Government's “shovel-ready” programme, $10m will be going towards Wellington City Mission’s new building on Oxford Terrace in Mt Cook. Construction on the new building is set to create 120 jobs and generate about $12m to the economy.
The new building will have a community cafe, a social supermarket and 35 housing units designed to accommodate and care for people experiencing chronic homelessness.
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It will be open 24-hours a day and will also have a food distribution warehouse, kitchens, laundry services, public bathrooms and showers, and sacred space for people to pray.
The housing units will be able to support about 40 people.
Wellington City Missioner Murray Edridge said the building was gifted the name Whakamaru from mana whenua, which means to shelter, safeguard and protect.
Whakamaru would help Wellington City Mission respond to some of the country’s greatest challenges such as housing supply, homelessness, food insecurity and social isolation, he said.
“This will give us far greater capacity to serve and support some of our city’s most vulnerable,” Edridge said.
“By providing supported housing and wrap-around support at Whakamaru, it will reduce people’s utilisation of hospitalisation and other services. This represents an economic and social benefit and saving to the region of $2.6 million per annum.”
The building was for all Wellingtonians to enjoy and was focused on creating a “supportive and mana-enhancing” community in the heart of Wellington City, he said.
“Whakamaru will give us a greater platform and opportunity to turn lives around and allow us to create a community that cares for itself. It will be transformational for the Wellington region.”
The building will be complete in 2022.