After 19-year old Eramiha moved up to Auckland, he found himself separated from his young family and living in his car through winter. That’s when he reached out to the Auckland City Mission – Te Tāpui Atawhai for help. Working with the Mission’s Youth Development Worker Chris, Eramiha is now living in his own studio apartment. He has a new job lined up and he’s looking forward to being reunited with his family. 

Eramiha had a troubled childhood in the Bay of Plenty. “I had to grow up fast. I ended up having to look after my 8-year-old sister when I was just 13. But I was naughty as.  I was getting into a little trouble.”   

The birth of his daughter changed his life. “It changed heaps. She came along and then I was just busy with her.” Eramiha and his girlfriend moved up to Auckland with their young daughter for a fresh start and to find work.   

He soon got a job in warehousing.  With the money he was earning, the family were able to rent a room together in a boarding house. But a few months later, things started to fall apart when Eramiha was injured at work. 

“I worked for five months, six months as a warehouser.  But I got a couple injuries to my hand, and I went on ACC for a bit. Then I got let go from work.”  

Eramiha applied for income support, but found it was hard to navigate the system: “It was a whole process trying to get onto the benefit.”  

In the meantime, the family had no money coming in. They could no longer afford to pay rent for their room at the boarding house and found themselves homeless.     

Fortunately, his girlfriend and daughter were able to go and live with an auntie, “because I didn’t want them living on the streets with me.” But Eramiha himself had nowhere to go.  

He spent the next four months alone, through the coldest months of winter, sleeping in the back of his car. “I was living in a little car, a Toyota Vitz. I would jump in the back and crash out. I had blankets to keep warm.” 

He was living by a park in a central Auckland suburb, a spot popular with freedom campers. “There was always vans around. So I was safe.” 

“It was rent free, but you still have to survive, pay for your food and everything. It was a bit rocky. Some nights I wasn’t eating because I didn’t have any coin.” 

He reached out to friends and family for help and a former tutor back home suggested he get in touch with the Mission.  “That’s how I met the bro Chris!”  

Chris is the Youth Development Worker in the Mission’s Street to Home team. “My day-to-day focus is supporting homeless rangatahi between the ages of 18 to 25. They could be rough sleeping, couch surfing or living in their car.” 

“Our first step is always housing, but with Eramiha, because he didn’t have any income, he couldn’t pay for housing.” 

“We really did not want him to stay in the car, so we got in touch with MSD [Ministry of Social Development] and advocated for them to pay for emergency housing for a week while we sorted out his benefit.” 

During the week Eramiha was in emergency accommodation, Chris helped him organise income support and arranged for him to move to James Liston Hostel, one of the Mission’s transitional housing sites, while they looked for a permanent home. 

Chris works through his networks at Kāinga Ora and community housing providers to find suitable accommodation, but young men are often low on the waiting list. “It’s hard in general to find housing right now. Especially when you say you have an 18-year-old with no rental history, no references.” 

But through the Mission’s community housing arm, Auckland City Mission Housing Limited, Eramiha has found a studio apartment that he loves. “It’s mean! It feels good.  It’s warm.  A roof over my head.” 

Now Eramiha has a safe place to live, his girlfriend and daughter are able to come and visit at the weekends.  But he’s looking forward to getting back into work, so that he can afford a home where they can all live together. 

“That’s why I want to find a job soon. Once I get that job, we’ll be back together again.” 

Chris does so much more than support rangatahi with housing. “A lot of the young people that I work with need support to understand the systems like WINZ [Work & Income] and MSD [Ministry of Social Development]. I will help with employment, getting ID, getting the benefit, registering them with a GP, dealing with court stuff and lawyers, personal development – full wraparound support.” 

When Eramiha needed to get his car ready for a WOF, they worked together – Eramiha got the parts he needed and Chris supplied the tools. 

And with Chris’ support, Eramiha has been busy getting work ready and looking for jobs. “I’m just keen to get off the benefit. I got my forklift license three weeks ago!” 

Their hard work has paid off, and Eramiha now has a new job in construction lined up.