Stories of Hope

One day, Pauly was hit with reality – he was an adult who had nothing. He had kids he loved but his lifestyle meant they couldn’t depend on him. He had no home, no job, and no money to his name. At that point he realised, it was up to him to do...

While confidentiality prevents us sharing client stories, some did agree to us sharing their comments about their positive experiences at the Visionwest Wellbeing Centre and the Kotuitui Counselling in Schools Programme (names have been changed to...

Toni-Anne was living in the Hawke’s Bay when she was diagnosed with cancer. With no local oncology facility able to provide treatment, her only option was to move to Auckland. She wouldn’t have survived otherwise. That move saw Toni-Anne having to...

When Phoebe and Ben are asked what they like about Eden Cottage, Ben immediately talks about the family and community feel he experienced on his very first visit.  “I can’t even recall how we found Eden Cottage,” says Ben. “We had just moved to...

Raewyn worked hard all her life – she was once was a jewellery maker, the first woman in Aotearoa New Zealand to enter this then male dominated industry. She owned her own home and things were going well until, through the dishonesty of others, she...

Two of Pam’s siblings were in Visionwest houses and so, when she found herself without a place to live, she contacted our Community Housing team. They found her temporary accommodation in a hotel managed by Visionwest. Pam admits to going through...

Dahlia lives with a friend whose parents were kind enough to welcome her into their family. It’s a small house, but they make it work and, since the breakdown of her own family, Dahlia is happy to call this home. “A counsellor at school knew I...

When Maryrose came to Money Mentors, she was struggling to survive on $23 a week after paying rent, power, water, and some of the debt she owed. Like many people in her situation, her financial security had been stolen by a couple of challenging...

“I came from Afghanistan as a refugee with my parents, four brothers and three sisters. When I arrived, I was placed into Year 7 at intermediate school. I had no English at all and couldn’t understand anything. The other kids would say, ‘Hi,’ to me...

When Keith, a retired computer engineer, first went into a retirement village he spent his days enjoying the company of others and involving himself in various social activities. Eight years on, Keith’s health had deteriorated, and his family were...