Hello bubble friends of the shelter,
I must say I am so proud to be a kiwi, more so than usual, aren't you? Warts and all there is nowhere else I would rather be living in the world.
Takitimu House is a very important part of our little world, so here is a update:
The guys in the house have been amazing. They have risen to the challenges that this pandemic and lock down has thrown at them. They are a wonderful little bubble!
We have relaxed our routines and structure, no point getting people out of bed every day at 6.30am to sit around all day. They are enjoying the relaxed environment. They have TV, Internet, Netflix, movies, board games, table tennis. They keep the house hospital grade clean (with the help of our staff). The lawns and gardens are pristine.
Clearly working with other agencies to progress their goals is currently on hold however working with them to get through this in a happy and healthy way is our most pressing priority.
Our staff team have had to think outside of the box to meet everyone's needs and to ensure, above all else, they stay in their bubble. Without detail, this is quite complex for some of our clients who struggle with addiction issues. We are nothing if not inventive, creative and flexible. These are very unusual times requiring very unusual responses.
Thank you to our friends The Good Neighbours who have continued, at a time more difficult than most, to supply our men where they can. Food donations went down significantly as we saw the supermarket shelves emptied. With all of that happening Good Neighbours are still bringing food to our doors.
Leaving the shelter for daily walks, medication runs or personal shopping (for some of the guys) is a mission. It is planned and structured. We make sure the men leaving site with us return with us. We are all invested in keeping NZ safe and eradicating COVID19.
To ensure our staff abide by MBIE and Government personal distancing directives our team has been rostered onto shift work so that our bubbles collide as little as possible.
Jess and Kelly have been amazing working with the men to relieve their anxiety and worries. Putting in place activities that ensure lock down is manageable and not torture. The men are loving it. Jess and Kelly had so many stresses on them, they soldiered on even though they were so worried for their own families and for the unknown.
Some of you probably remember Diana and Lance our house parents since day dot. Publicly I need to declare this couple as a god send. Through the chaos of COVID 19 and lead up to lock down, this amazing couple were permanently solution focused, calm, friendly, unfazed and up for any responsibility or task put to them. They came to me and said, if everyone gets sick and the staff are sick, we will happily look after the shelter until people can come back. We are prepared to be the only ones here.
Isn't that a tear jerker, I can tell you it was for me and still is to this day. I will never forget those words from Diana and Lance.
So that is our little update. How are you all doing in your bubbles. We would love to hear from you.
From all of us at Takitimu House
