'Our House' – a Good News Quake Story
Posted March 19, 2020
It is always very heartening to see something good rising up from the destruction caused by the earthquakes, and the new home for the head office, and counselling services of Home and Family Society Christchurch – known as ‘Our House’ - is one such story.
The previously threatened grade-one heritage convent and chapel formerly owned by the Community of the Sacred Name has been lifted, strengthened and fully restored – one of the most significant such projects since the momentous move of Shands Emporium in 2015.
This provides a permanent and secure base from which Home & Family can continue their vital work of building happy and safe homes. It also protects and maintains this significant heritage building, allowing the good work that has always been undertaken from within its walls to continue.
We consider ourselves privileged to have been able to contribute our time and materials to this refurbishment. We provided and laid the vinyl flooring free of charge, and our awesome staff also laid the carpet provided by Godfrey Hirst.
About Home and Family
Originally known as ‘The Society for the Protection of Women and Children’, Home & Family/Te Whare Manaaki Tangata has been in Christchurch for over 120 years. Their vision is that: all children will live in homes with whānau/family who cherish them, keep them safe and nurture their potential.
Their services include:
- A residential parenting programme, which helps keep families together by giving parents skills in safe, effective and nurturing parenting.
- A targeted intervention to support parents re-engaging with parenting and attachment through a residential or community-based programme.
- Counselling for all ages, but specialising in work with children, offering play therapy for children as young as three.
- Their Refocus programme - a child-focused intervention which aims to break cycles that can result in young people entering the youth justice system.
Each of the services they provide are unique, but take a vital place in the landscape of social services available in Canterbury.