Message from the CEO

Lasting Impressions - the year in review

As CEO of The Wellington City Mission, my job is to direct the overall functioning of all divisions ensuring we head towards our Vision and are making the best use of our resources.  As expected, over the past year more people were negatively affected by the adverse economic conditions and looked to The Mission for assistance.

As always the staff and executive team of The Mission have regularly assessed and reviewed the community's needs, the programmes we offer, and the effectiveness of the services we provide.  In order to reasonably meet the needs of those struggling to achieve a reasonable quality of life, it was necessary to draw on our financial reserves.

Last year there was an increase in families we visited that have one or more employed parent, and also in families who were once considered "middle income".  All our client families report they are struggling to maintain a basic standard of living.  We supported families on our Mission for Families programme by sorting out the practicalities of adequate housing, food and clothing; and then working on issues that will bring about durable changes for the better - budgeting skills, living without violence and training for employment are examples.

Mission for Youth deals with more complex social and educational issues year by year.  Truancy had become a serious concern for us and a number of Wellington schools.  We used our well-established relationship with the Police Youth Aid team along with the experience of the Senior Social Worker at Mission for Youth to address the truancy problem.  Now, not only has the attendance rate improved but also the incidence of unlawful activities requiring Police intervention has decreased.

Students have achieved well in educational terms.  Credits towards NCEA Level One are now being achieved using a model unique to Alternative Education.  The success of this model has led to it being extended to include the Transition to Work rangatahi, who also conjunctly receive tailored assistance in order to obtain employment.

Mission for Independence had prepared for an increase in demand in most its areas of operation.  Requests for the Budgeting Advice service and the number of service users steadily increased as the year progressed.  The majority of referrals came via other Mission programmes' staff (40%), followed by self-referrals (22%) and Government agencies such as Work and Income (20%).

Similarly, our Foodbank had a busy year and some anxious moments when food stocks were particularly low.  Thanks to donations of suitable food, monetary donations to purchase food and successful Brown Paper Bag and Christmas food drives, we continued to provide supplementary food parcels to those who had no other means of adequately feeding their families.  Single adults were mostly directed to our Newtown Drop-in Centre where food, companionship and social work assistance is always on hand.

Mission for Seniors continued to provide practical assistance to the elderly in the community; generally they are living in low socio-economic areas, with some level of dementia, and not coping well with activities of daily living.  With a little help from The Mission, seniors in the community are supported to make their own choices and positive changes in their lives.  Last year, the largest single source of referrals for our service (33%) came from District Health Boards.  Service users have multiple, sometimes complex, needs including health, disability and social issues. Our team of nurses, social and support workers deal with each issue referring to other agencies as appropriate.  Examples of other services include WINZ, physiothe rapy services, occupational therapist, personal alarm providers, and mental health services.  As with Mission for Families, the number of Mission for Seniors service users are greater in the Hutt Valley than in Wellington.

Because the elderly are generally staying in the community longer, (ie. their own homes - either rented or owned), admissions to residential care for Government subsidised clients are when the person has a higher level of need.  This has been evidenced at Kemp Home and Hospital, where occupancy of the hospital level beds (50 in number) is higher than that of the rest home level beds.  This can be a permanent admission, or as occurred more in the last year, for a period of respite.  The current age range of residents is currently 62 to 98 years old.

This more intense level of support calls for well trained and experienced staff.  Excellent uptake and The Mission's funding of the NZQA Aged Care Education programme has resulted in 90% of Kemp's care giving staff undertaking this training.  In recognition of the Nurse Manager, Valelia Gibb's contribution to Aged Care, she was presented with the Capital and Coast DHB's Professional Practice in Primary Healthcare Award in 2010.  The quality initiatives and leadership at Kemp is also evidenced by three-year certification against the Health and Disability Standards.

Mission Foods continued to produce home-style Ezee Meals.  Sales have declined but we know they are still popular with the regular clients and that each month "Mission Foods" and "Ezee Meals" are in the top ten phrases searched for on our website.  This year The Mission website had a make-over with positive feedback, and also more visits including increased online donations.

Like the people we serve and several other charities, The Mission has felt the impact of less discretionary spending and therefore donations.  But we are most grateful to all those who did offer their time, practical assistance, food supplies and monetary contributions.  The Diplomatic Charity Ball in aid of The Mission was the highlight of the fundraising year, and I thank all those who organised and supported it.

Finally, The Wellington City Mission employs 140 people in total who are generally in enabling and empowering roles.  The most visible and one of the longest serving is Fr Des, the City Missioner, who retired at the end of July 2011.  Along with the staff, volunteers and Trustees, I would like to thank Fr Des and Lorraine for their long-standing contribution to The Mission and community of Wellington, and wish them all the best for a well-earned retirement.  We also welcome Rev Susan Blaikie our new City Missioner, who began her role in August.

Michelle Branney
Chief Executive Officer