To address many of the issues facing our guests, it’s imperative that there is a collaborative and strategic approach from sector NGOs dealing with food insecurity, housing and mental health, as well as the Wellington City Council and relevant government departments, like the Department of Corrections, and Work and Income.

Staff members from the Soup Kitchen participate in inter-agency forums on issues of poverty, homelessness and mental health. We work with other local service providers around training, development and consistency of service provision to correspond to the constantly evolving needs of Soup Kitchen guests.

We also have a Soup Kitchen consumer group – Tangata Whaiora – which influences our practice, from frontline issues to strategic operations.

Our advocacy, which can be as simple as assisting someone with a CV, or guiding someone to appropriate services, also includes participation in higher level discussions to influence council/government strategy around homelessness and related issues.

Together we can make a difference to people’s lives, and can support one another to continue as sector leaders.