When it comes to helping the homeless, often the agencies get together and put in place what they think people need, says The Male Room director Philip Chapman.
But very, very rarely asking people [themselves]. The experts are the people living on the street.
The Male Room, a drop-in centre that offers advocacy and support, is to receive $250,000 in funding to address homelessness, the Government announced on Wednesday.
In Nelson, those funds will be used to create a governance group “driven by the homeless, and supported by the community, to identify and plan strategies that provide housing options for the homeless”.
The trust was one of 10 successful applicants receiving a total of $6 million in round two of the Local Innovation and Partnership Fund (LIPF) confirmed by Associate Minister of Housing (Homelessness), Marama Davidson.