Te Pae Manaaki Tangata

The place where people experience manaakitanga

MARCH 2024

It’s 9am on a Tuesday morning – which means it is time for the DCM team to start their day with karakia and waiata. Staff filter out into the courtyard at the end of Lukes Lane, joined by whānau – who are among some of the most marginalised people in the city of Wellington.

Ngaire is the duty team leader, and with a break in the construction noise going on all around the building, she calls everyone’s attention to what’s happening today. Te Aro Health will be here for walk-in appointments, an MSD worker will be available to talk to people about their housing and other concerns, and at 10am there will be a poetry group. Tea, coffee and kai are also available – and people are welcome to catch up with DCM staff about anything and everything they need.

The need is great at the moment. DCM has an Outreach team that met 58 new people on the streets of Wellington in October-December 2023. 47 were recorded as rough sleeping, and almost all made their way to DCM. In fact, alongside DCM’s Outreach team, their main referral source was each other. Word on the street is often, “Go down to DCM – they’ll help you.”

Subsequently, DCM is a busy hub of activity. They have named their day-to-day services on Lukes Lane ‘Te Pae Manaaki Tangata’, which means ‘The place where people experience manaakitanga’. ‘Te Pae’ refers to the place where this work has always happened at DCM, where it was previously known as a ‘frontline’ or ‘triage’ service. ‘Manaaki Tangata’ refers to the care and support this service provides while acknowledging the expertise of the many practitioners who come through DCM.

Waiata begins, and DCM is joined by numerous whānau. Some sing enthusiastically while others stand back on the sidelines. Two men who are rough sleeping nearby DCM join in. One older man will be taken over to Wesley Methodist Church for a shower later on this morning before a house viewing with DCM’s Aro Mai Housing First team. Staff are happy to see him.

Everyone’s name is recorded at the front door, giving DCM’s staff an opportunity to ask what has brought that person to DCM today so the team can point them in the right direction. Hazel, a Te Pae Manaaki Tangata team member, also shares that having staff in the courtyard can help “Put out a few fires before they’ve even sparked.”
 
DCM often uses the phrase ‘most marginalised’ when referring to the people engaged with its services. But what does that mean?

According to DCM’s data and evidence:

• The most marginalised will have experienced some form of homelessness over the past year (56%), with many going without shelter altogether (21%).

• The most marginalised are usually Māori (52%), and they are usually men (73%) aged 35 and over.

• The most marginalised have sometimes been abused while in care or within their family homes.

• The most marginalised often have serious and undiagnosed mental health conditions.

• The most marginalised often have a number of existing, untreated health conditions.

• The most marginalised often have chronic alcohol and drug dependencies.

• The most marginalised often have criminal convictions.

Sometimes, the most marginalised can be challenging to deal with. Some may have hearing loss, learning difficulties, head injuries, and anger management issues. Some may be perpetrators – or victims – of domestic abuse. Some may be walking around in pain from injuries or dental decay.
 
DCM also knows that the most marginalised are usually excluded from society and services we take for granted. Sometimes, DCM is the only place these people can come, having been trespassed from other services.
 
And women feature, too. Natalia Cleland, the Kaiarataki (leader) with oversight of the Te Pae Manaaki Tangata service, adds, “It is important to note that while women don’t feature highly in rough sleeping data, we know from experience that they will often be in precarious and unsafe living situations, vulnerable to predatory and exploitative relationships.”

To work with the most marginalised, Te Pae Manaaki Tangata provides expertise through DCM’s own team of kaimahi and AOD counsellors while also welcoming visiting practitioners such as nurses from Te Aro Health Centre and volunteer dentists who staff DCM’s emergency dental service.

It doesn’t take long for DCM’s waiting room to fill up with people. Mata from MSD has a waitlist, which gets longer and longer. One man is desperate to have a conversation about his temporary accommodation to see if he can be brought up a bit higher on the social housing waitlist for a permanent place.

Having Mata at Te Pae Manaaki Tangata today is incredibly helpful – this level of accessibility with MSD can be game-changing for marginalised people.

DCM believes in Housing First, a “Whatever it takes” approach that focusses on quickly moving people from homelessness into permanent housing – and then providing wrap-around support. DCM leads this government-backed initiative in Wellington, which is designed for people who have been sleeping rough for at least 12 months, who have high or complex support needs and who need intensive, ongoing support to help them stay housed.

These are often exactly the people who come to Te Pae Manaaki Tangata. By ensuring marginalised people feel welcome here, DCM is never short of referrals to the Housing First service.

Someone becomes a bit disruptive due to their drug use this morning. Ngaire feels for her – she had been sober for months while waiting on an opportunity to get housed but has started using drugs again. She is incredibly insightful, kind, and thoughtful when sober, but she has burnt some bridges over the years. She just needs another chance.

It is helpful having Te Aro Health with the team today, and nurses Bronwyn and Rebecca soon have a long list of people waiting to see them, too.

While Te Pae Manaaki Tangata can sometimes feel like an emergency department filled with people experiencing crises, DCM also focusses on meaningful activities.

Not everyone is here today seeking support on a specific issue. Some are just here for a chat, a coffee, some kai, and maybe a game of Jenga. Word games are very popular, and the team has photocopied today’s newspaper for whānau to fill out the crossword.

DCM knows from experience that while whānau may face major obstacles in their lives, such as addictions, mental health issues, and homelessness – sometimes all at once – for many, loneliness and social isolation are familiar themes, too. Loneliness and social isolation are something that DCM workers really help people work through – the whānau tell the team that they feel welcome and safe here.

While a game of Jenga takes place, a man approaches one of DCM’s kaiāwhina (peer support workers) to show him his broken tooth. DCM’s kaiāwhina often have their own lived experiences of homelessness, which makes conversing with whānau easier. Asked to describe his level of pain, he rates it as “a 7 out of 10”.

There is no dental session today, but in collaboration with his key worker, DCM may be able to hustle him in for an appointment another day. This man has a lot going on in his life – including trying to manage at least a couple of sober days per week, if possible – so getting along to appointments can be tricky.

This shows both the challenges and opportunities at Te Pae Manaaki Tangata. Manaakitanga is one of DCM’s core values: “We value people above all things. Through respect, kindness and hospitality, we uplift the mana of ourselves and all those we engage with.”

Because marginalised people feel so welcome at DCM, the team can help them with the practical support they need, often picking up underlying issues over a cup of coffee or during a game of Jenga.

Te Pae Manaaki Tangata closes at midday, and whānau disperse. 75 people have come through the service today – “Fairly typical numbers,” Natalia says.

The team gathers for a debrief to discuss how things were handled today, what could be done differently, and what successes can be celebrated.

When Kaiārahi (Team Leader) Rowan McCardle is asked about what makes Te Pae Manaaki Tangata special, she says, “This is a service and a space where anybody and everybody is treated with kindness, dignity and respect. We get to see the best of people and are honoured to be one part of people’s wellbeing journey.”

Te Pae Manaaki Tangata ensures whānau are connected to the supports they need. This service encompasses all of DCM’s frontline and hauora services, such as our emergency dental service and Te Awatea, our harm reduction programme, along with DCM’s Foodbank, Money Management service, and Te Hāpai, a welcoming, safe space for people who are rough sleeping.

This service is not funded by central or local government grants but by our generous donors. Thanks to you, we can be responsive to the ever-changing needs of our whānau. If this is something you would like to support at the end of this tax year, below are some ways to contribute. Ngā manaakitanga!