We Say – Government service cuts a disgrace

The suddenness of Oranga Tamariki’s decision to sever its funding contract with Homebuilders in Warkworth has been brutal. Just weeks ago, the small team was busy developing new courses to meet community demand, planning a community garden and supporting people, many of them in serious situations, to find the help they needed. And why wouldn’t they be? The service has been operating for nearly four decades, never dreaming that it could all disappear at the stroke of a pen.

Most people go through tough times at some stage in their life and not everyone has the social networks to lean on during these times. That’s what’s so special about Homebuilders. Their help isn’t determined by whether you are rich or poor, employed or not – they will do their best to listen and advise, no matter what a person’s circumstances and no matter how often the wheels fall off the cart.

When people ring, they speak to a ‘real person’ and normally can be seen within 24 hours. They don’t need a referral, and there aren’t waiting lists and endless forms to fill out. About half of all counselling sessions happen in the person’s home, providing a safe and confidential atmosphere. Over the decades, Homebuilders has earned the community’s trust – not just the trust of the people who need its services, but also the trust of other service providers, medical services, schools and police.

How many times have we heard that the nation is facing a mental health crisis and yet, Oranga Tamariki makes a blanket decision to defund nearly 200 agencies, most of them embedded in their communities like Homebuilders. They are on the front line when mental health and family violence issues flare, and their effectiveness, because of their network of connections, can never be replicated by a service based somewhere else.

Services like Homebuilders can’t be judged by numbers because prevention operates in the realm of the hypothetical. Their success lies in what doesn’t happen. How do you measure what hasn’t happened? The metrics, which the money-crunchers in government rely on, will never capture the true scope and value of what they do. I, for one, would gladly give back my $2 a week tax cut to see services like Homebuilders continue.