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Youth worker Tau Faaeteete, part of the Zeal Wellington Street Youth Work Project, says the $ 134,260 grant will make a big difference.
An 11-year-old boy found homeless on the streets of Wellington is just one of a growing number of vulnerable youth who suffer after lockdown.
The boy had been on the streets for three or four nights after fleeing his home in Palmerston North.
“He got on a bus and he was floating in Wellington,” said Britney Marsh, Wellington regional manager for youth organization Zeal.
“His home was incredibly unsafe and he felt he had no other options.”
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The non-profit organization had seen the need for its services quadruple since the Covid-19 shutdown, and a “huge increase” in antisocial behavior.
Kevin Stent / Stuff
Zeal Wellington regional manager Britney Marsh says the need for her services has quadrupled since the Covid-19 shutdown.
“We mostly work with people of high school age, 13 to 18 years old,” he said. The 11-year-old boy had received food and support at the youth center before being connected to the police.
On Thursday, the Zeal Wellington Street Youth Work Project received a raise of $ 134,260 to help get vulnerable youth off the streets at night.
The grant was unanimously approved by the Wellington City Council grants committee.
Youth worker Tau Faaeteete said it would make a “huge” difference.
“It will mean that we can get well-trained young workers on the streets, letting them know that there is a safe space for them.”
Monique Ford / Stuff
A recently released Wellington City Council report revealed that crime and antisocial behavior are occurring “every hour of every day” in Te Aro Park.
Zeal will seek to engage with the “most disconnected youths” on the streets of CBD and address synthetic drug issues, antisocial behavior, truancy, homelessness, violence, vandalism, alcohol abuse and misuse, and petty crime.
Faaeteete said one of the biggest challenges was making young people feel purposeless.
“The most rewarding thing is when you start to feel like they find hope for themselves and want to change,” he said.
Successfully executed in Auckland, Hamilton and previously Wellington, the project will involve youth workers who will hit the streets on Friday and Saturday nights between 6.30 and 10.30 in hot spots and connect with young people, aiming to to get them off the streets. at 11 pm.
Kevin Stent / Stuff
Youth worker Hayley Rosser at Zeal Wellington Youth Center.
Young people will be encouraged to go to Zeal Wellington Youth Center in Cuba St.
The long-term goal of the organization is to transition young people to its range of weekly services, including mentoring and development programs, and refer them to other services, such as Wellington City Mission, legal aid, counseling and social services.
The committee listened to the ideas of young people using Zeal’s help on why night service was needed:
“A lot of my friends don’t want to be home at night because their parents and their houses are crazy. So we meet in town and walk the streets. There is nowhere to go. Especially in winter,” said one.
“I have nothing to do at night and I don’t want to go home. The house sucks and my dad doesn’t care what I do. There’s nothing to do unless you’re 18, so we usually hang out in the park skating, but it’s dumb. Sometimes it can be scary at night, “said another.
Fleur Fitzsimons, councilor for Paekawakawa / Barrio Sur, said the quotes give “a real glimpse of a gap in our city.
MONIQUE FORD / STUFF / Things
Councilor Fleur Fitzsimons says the council was warned that someone could die if steps were not taken to address Wellington’s dangerous street culture.
“It is an attempt by this council to send a message of constructive support in the form of money to address the safety of young people in Wellington.
“We know that the police have warned this council that Wellington’s street culture has become very dangerous. The police have warned us that we will see deaths if action is not taken, ”he said.
The new project comes after recent concerns about escalating crime and disorder at Courtenay Place, including a massive brawl and police revealing that he was attending a serious incident almost every weekend.
A recent damning report published by WCC revealed that crime and antisocial behavior are occurring “every hour of every day” in Te Aro Park.
Recent events sparked the revitalization of the Night Economic Forum involving council, police, First Retail and Hospitality New Zealand to address alcohol-related harm.
The council also recently approved $ 95,000 in funding for Take 10, a volunteer organization that operates a secure zone on the entertainment grounds on weekends.
