Tauranga’s Salvation Army provides crisis intervention and long-term support to some of the most vulnerable and financially distressed members of our community.

Last year alone more than 600 households and 1200 individuals were provided essential welfare aid, comprehensive social services and life skills mentoring.

Tauranga Salvation Army Community Ministries Manager, Sarah Way, says the rising cost of living and recent Government funding cuts to social service agencies and community providers means demand for the Salvation Army’s services is higher than ever before.

“There used to be a common trend of people who accessed our services. And now there’s so many different people. There are those who have worked their whole lives and are now walking through our front door and standing there in tears because they’ve never had to come in and ask for a food parcel before. That’s really massive for them. We try to give them their dignity, their respect and their mana in that space, because it’s been no fault of their own. People have been laid off left, right and centre. The economic impact right now is huge.”

Wide-reaching support

The Salvation Army acts as a one-stop-shop and its mission is to transform lives. “We’ve got financial mentoring, social work, positive lifestyle programmes, parenting and self-development initiatives, food support and clothing support. We have mentors working in the community, and we have social workers advocating where needed. And then we have our transitional housing accommodations referrals through MSD. So as a community service, we’re trying to meet multiple needs.”

Sarah says many clients face intergenerational poverty, violence, substance abuse and mental health issues, so they greatly benefit from the Salvation Army’s holistic approach.

However, focusing on immediate needs alone falls short of creating lasting change. The organisation works hard to build relationships with people and listen to their stories so they can then build the skills and confidence necessary to make a positive long-term difference.

“It’s about connection for us, because when you connect, people trust you and you’ve got the ability to make change. Without that, you haven’t got anything to work with. So it’s important we keep all our wellbeing supports going.

Multi-year deal

Offering such a wide breadth of social services requires a big operating budget. The Tauranga Salvation Army Community Ministries (TSACM) needs over $600,000 a year to run, and employs 14 people in full or part-time positions, alongside volunteers.

To help support their work, the charitable trust will receive $35,000 from BayTrust spread over the next three years. This multi-year funding arrangement will provide much-needed security, allowing the Tauranga branch to proactively think and plan for the future.

“It’s absolutely amazing and humbling to have ongoing support from BayTrust. They want to see us grow and keep going and we couldn’t do that without organisations like BayTrust.

“This money is a small piece of the pie, but it’s also huge when you put it all together. Knowing we’ve got the security of a three year grant means that we can budget, plan ahead and look at what is needed – how can we evolve to make sure we’re meeting the needs of vulnerable people in our community?”

Bright future

Sarah believes providing a flexible service and a bespoke model of care to individual clients is the key to the Salvation Army’s longevity and ongoing success.

“We work in a holistic way with our clients, the community and with other organisations such as Oranga Tamariki, MSD, IBA youth development, Ngai Te Rangi iwi, Turning point, Te Manu Toroa, health providers, Good Neighbour, Foodbank and others. We’re stronger together and remain committed to creating positive impacts.

“Together, we will build a resilient and supportive community for all.”