From sleeping in a car to comfort

But it helps to have some slippers on too. “You have got to have warm feet. That’s the most important thing in winter,” he recalls.

Gary is in his early 70s and a former victim of the housing crisis that has hit many in our community. A few things had gone wrong for him, he was kicked out of his accommodation when it had repairs, and suddenly found himself on the street.

Most think of homeless people as those who huddle in empty buildings or sleep in doorways, but many more in our city are homeless in less visible ways such as couch surfing, living in garages, or, as in Gary’s case, sleeping in cars. All of them experience grinding stress from not having a safe place to relax and recover, and the worry of ‘where to next’.

“I parked away from where I could be seen by other people. It was a bit of a difficulty going for the loo and all that,” he says.

Gary Gribben says he’s grateful for the help the City Mission has given him.

Sadly it could be hard to find a hidden parking/sleeping spot because so many others in Christchurch  were trying to do the same thing.

“Oh, there was a whole heap of them at New Brighton. And there were some around Woolston. And there were even some over at Wairakei Road, although that was often a bit too far for me.”

 One amazing side to Gary’s story is even during his toughest times on the street he’d keep busy during the day by supporting others also in strife by taking them in his car to free meals, health appointments, and shopping. He says he did it, and still does, because he gave his life to Jesus and “we are to go and help each other”.

 We provided Gary with food parcels and he stayed in our men’s emergency shelter during a lockdown. Now he has a comfortable, permanent place to call home.

 He’s very grateful for the help we were able to give him and calls the Mission staff in the shelter amazing because “they kept us gee’d up enough without being too pushy - they were really, really kind”.

 On his birthday he got a special meal and “a little present, a torch, and a couple of knick-knacks and things”. He says it softly and with emotion. He’s never forgotten that little extra gesture of kindness.

 For many Christchurch people, it literally is a case of pay the power bill or pay the food bill, but not both, in winter. Others, like Gary, sleep in cars or garages so the rent bill can go on food and other necessities.

Winter is an annual crisis for many families we look after. They dread it because of how it exposes the weaknesses in their day-to-day lives. When they are only just surviving week-to-week, when they have no reserves or buffer, then winter’s extra costs and stresses push them over the edge into a spiral of debt and despair.

That can lead to hunger, humiliation, mental health issues, addiction problems, family violence and break-ups, children’s education failing and on it goes. It’s so important to have the basics of life in place to make sure everything else stays manageable.

That’s where our 20 different services to help people become so important. That’s right, 20 – the City Mission is far more than a Foodbank, homeless shelters and addiction support services, as vital as they are.

Winter is when power bills rise, when the seasonal work dries up, when illness strips families of income earners, and any family living can find itself in big trouble. It could be people living right next door to you.

We help people in crisis and we help them rebuild their future and this matters more than ever in winter. Thank you for any support you are able to give to help us in this work.