Wairarapa’s locally owned community newspaper
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2020
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Life: A ÿ ght to survive
An inside look at Masterton’s homeless shelter. PHOTO/JADE CVETKOV
Lisa Urbani Donna Laing has been a social worker in Masterton for 30 years and it’s fair to say she has seen it all. She volunteers as a host at the Masterton homeless shelter and says she gets so much out of it. “I come away feeling a sense of personal reward, I’m honoured to be part of it.” The dilemma is that many of the homeless are in their situation because of circumstances, but also because of their life choices, addictions, and abuse. For her, the essential thing
WAIRARAPA’S
PEOPLE is that the shelter provides the basics, a hot meal, a shower, a chance to be dry, wash their clothes, and safely store their possessions so they don’t need to be carried around. “Taking a bit of life weight off them for two hours” is how she describes it. There is no denying that some people who have need
of the Shelter’s services have challenging behaviours, mental health issues and alcohol and drug dependencies. Three hosts ensure that strict rules are adhered to, and drinking, taking drugs, or becoming aggressive and fighting, are not allowed. They have all had police training in de-escalation techniques, but as Donna explains, once you spend time with them you understand that they are in “survival mode”. She says their basic responses are “fright, fight, or
flight.” “Just like us, many of them have had a life, been to school, and had families. Mental health problems are a cruel thing, it’s a fine line crossing over from sanity to mental health issues for any one of us.”. For her, the best day is when she can help someone homeless just have a safe place to relax, enjoy some home comforts, maybe watch a movie and doze. Although people who live rough tend to have a code of their own in terms of looking out for each other
and respecting each other’s belongings and space, they find it hard to have faith in outsiders. Once trust is established, Donna’s hope is that they feel they have someone to turn to if they need help.
What you do for the least of my brothers…
Reverend Wendy Thornburrow was ordained as a priest in 2019 but she has always wanted to serve others, even as a young seventeen-year old growing up in Havelock North. She is a relief host for the homeless shelter, and also Continued on page 3
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