You won’t believe how much we do to change people’s lives!

At the City Mission we often think how wonderful it would be if we were no longer needed, if Canterbury magically found the answers to problems such as hunger, homelessness, addiction, and mental health disorders. But the sad truth is in our 95th year we are needed more than ever and the services we provide to thousands of local people are more vital and desperately needed than ever.

Check out the aerial photograph accompanying this story for our Spring Appeal. In one glance you can see how we have created a community village of support at our Hereford Street site. It shows how wide the problems are and how broad our services need to be to help people.

One of our strengths is the way we can help someone in multiple ways because we the experts and resources they need are all in our one place.  A foodbank client might also be referred to one of our financial mentors and also take part in our day programmes. Or a homeless person might be helped by our social workers, clothed by our Op Shop and supported by our mental health and addiction experts.

City Missioner Corinne Haines says our collaborations and work also stretch far beyond this community village. “When people support us, they are directly supporting all those vulnerable people and families with the range of services they require,” she says.

One of our clients, Angela (not her real name to protect her privacy), is a great example. She is a mother of two who came to one of our day programmes three years ago when her life was spiralling out of control. She was heavily using drugs and lost care of her children and lost her rental home. She was alone and overwhelmed with sadness and huge debt. She came to us for the simple need of company with other women but as we got to know her circumstances better, we brought in more services to help her regain her life. Our foodbank provided healthy food, our financial mentors helped her manage her money and reduce debt, and our community connector linked her with Government agencies for extra support to aid her recovery. Angela’s life improved enough for her children to be able to come home, and our Back-to-School Programme helped fund their uniforms and stationery.

“I don't even know how to begin to thank you. I don’t even know what words to say. I don't even know where I would be without the Mission,” Angela says - but she when she does, she is also talking about our supporters who help make our work possible. We offer an amazing array of services and our experts and innovative approaches have a national reputation for getting the job done and making a difference.

“We are here because we are needed. Thank you to everyone who helps us create better lives for thousands of people,” Corinne says.