Hardship Support

155 Community Law Taitokerau provide free and confidential legal services and advice across Taitokerau Northland.They have a virtual drop-in clinic on Tuesdays from 9.30am – 11am by phone.

155 Open Arms is a day centre is in the heart of Whangārei, providing anyone with space to rest, have a kai and seek support

155 Whare Āwhina is a place where you and your whānau are valued, respected and accepted for who you are. They are community advocates, lawyers and social workers, there to help you and your whānau. They provide free legal advice through their 155 Community Law centres in Whangārei and Kaikohe, can help with whānau support, WINZ, housing, and are there to support anyone who is homeless with shelter at their 155 Open Arms day centre. Their food bank provides free food parcels twice a week, and 155 Open Arms serves free meals twice a day, six days a week.

The Anglican Care Centre provide free and confidential budgeting advice with a trained Financial Mentor; where you can be assisted with building financial capacity and aspects of your personal budget.They also offer Money Mates - a 5-6 week, two hour block course on money management. This course is for anyone who wants to learn to gain greater control over their finances alongside others. It’s fun, informative and FREE.

Bald Angels believes that every child deserves the right to thrive and that through working together, we can make a difference.They support agencies to awhi families in need via a referral process from Police, social and health workers, Plunket, Women's Refuge, iwi organisations etc.Please visit their website for more information.

Bay of Islands Budgeting Service offers:• Building Financial Capability: Free confidential financial advice and support to help individuals and whanau achieve their financial goals.• Taiohi Ararau - Passport to Life: Supporting young Māori aged 15 - 24 to get their essential documents as they work towards furthering their education, training or employment.• Matihiko O Pokapu - Digital hub: Providing banking education (this includes educating users to have a greater understanding of internet security and safer practices) and support.Their hours are 9.00am - 3.00pm Monday to Friday. All services are free of charge. No referral required.

Building Safer Communities provide support and services for those wishing to gain their drivers license in the Far North (Kaitaia and surrounding areas). This includes financial support, driving lessons, assistance obtaining ID documentation etc. Their organisation runs regular Learner, Restricted, Defence Driving Courses and Driving lessons.

CAP works in partnership with local churches to assist people out of unmanageable debt. This is a free service. Their local churches provide the community support and works with them to provide expert budgeting, insolvency support and advocacy for their clients. Phone their helpline or visit their website.CAP Money courses online. You can join these courses from anywhere.

The Combined Beneficiaries Union can provide advocacy services to beneficiaries, to ensure they receive their entitlements from the Ministry of Social Development / Work and Income.If the client has issues regarding their benefit they can contact CBU. With their signed authority the advocate can negotiate with Work and Income on their behalf.• Service is free• Service is available nationwide

Dargaville Combined Churches Foodbank provide a nutritious food parcel for a week for those who are struggling to pay their bills. They deliver to households within the Dargaville area and families in outlying areas will need to collect the food parcel from the Dargaville Combined Churches Foodbank pantry.

Cornerstone Charitable Trust provides a breakfast club which is entirely free for all school aged children in the community. The breakfast club provides the children with a healthy and nutritious breakfast to start their day, and they are then given a free drop off to their school. The breakfast club also suits working families as they open at 7 – 8:30am (drop off to school).

Dignity provide free period products through their two impact initiatives for people without access to these products.

Family Support Services Kaiwaka/Mangawhai Incorporated ‘Kates Place’ are a community centre based in Kaiwaka.They offer:• A community employment service• Advocacy services• Access to free legal advice• Free healthcare services• Employment & life courses• Food parcels• Mental Health Support Group • Family Services

Their purpose is to supply emergency food and household items to vulnerable individuals and families within the Far North Region. They have been doing this for almost 22 years. Their Community Foodbank is part of a network that brings support to the social services of the Far North Community. These Agencies can provide a referral: Te Rarawa Anga Mua; Kaitaia Family Budgeting Services; Ngati Kahu Health & Social Services; WINZ; Salvation Army; Te Whare Ruruhau o Meri Trust; Women's Refuge.

Visit their Community Café at 26 Water Street, Whangārei. Hot lunches are served Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday between 12.00-2.00pm. Koha (donation) of $5 if unemployed, and $10 if working is suggested. If you cannot afford it, give what you can. They do not turn anyone away, and your donation will go towards feeding more people. They have also successfully operated a Lunch in Schools program for 8 years and have distributed over 250,000 hot nutritious meals to students in low-decile schools across Northland.

Habitat for Humanity Northern are a housing charity, focused on supporting homeowners to have decent, affordable shelter.

He Korowai Trust provides the following services: • Budgeting• Financial Mentoring• Transitional Housing• Bail Support• Wahine Integration• Sustaining Tenancies• Housing First and COVID Isolation unitsOpen 9am - 5pm Mon-Fri. Referral required through either MSD, Corrections or local services.

Kainga Ora Healthy Homes is a free service which aims to support low income families to have warmer, drier and healthier homes. This can be in the form of education, supplementing social housing applications or minor housing repairs. Interventions are delivered through a mixture of social work and interagency collaboration. Families in all housing tenures (social housing, private rental, boarders) are potentially eligible.

Kāinga Ora provides New Zealanders on low income or with special housing needs, including migrants and refugees, with access to good quality, affordable homes.

Kaipara Budgeting Service provides free budgeting and community education programs for people and families in Dargaville and the larger Kaipara area.