In 2017 Tiny Deane decided to do something about it. Everyone told him he wouldn't be able to.

But he was not put off. He and his wife Lynley sold their rental property and remortgaged their family home to establish the Visions of a Helping Hand Charitable Trust.

The purpose of the trust is to provide safe, secure facilities that are adequately staffed to support homeless individuals including women and children.

In less than 10 months Visions of a Helping Hand had opened a shelter, then another and another.

There are now shelters for single women with children in Rotorua and Taupo and a night-shelter in Rotorua.

And they have even bigger plans.

"This year, it's all about building houses. So we're gonna try and build 20 before Christmas, then 25 every year," says Tiny.

Why did they do it?

"It's about social conscience. When I grew up I can't remember there being a homeless situation in New Zealand and we believe that everybody should have a roof over their head," Lynley recently told The Project.

"I don't know. Both me and my wife are still talking about it," Tiny told Stuff in an interview, last year.

One root cause originated almost a decade ago. That was when Deane, then a truck driver, suffered an accident that changed his life.

He said it left him lucky to be alive, and he persevered with the only job he'd ever wanted to do.

"I just wanted to take it to the bitter end, and that came last year."

But he had to give it up because his surgeon was concerned about the strain the work was placing on Tiny's ankle which was damaged in the accident.

He told Tiny - "find another career". So he did.

Source

• visions.org.nz
• newshub.co.nz
• Image: stuff.co.nz

"I was amazed when I learnt how many homeless women there were in Wellington".

"As a Wellington woman, I was very keen to be part of the team at the Trust that looks after so many women in need and also works hard to find sustainable solutions for each of them."

"It is a fabulous cause and one that provides a much-needed service for the community I live in.

"We all have the right to a safe, warm, and happy home. That's exactly where the Trust fits in. It helps women, over 12 weeks, to turn their lives around and access the basics that many of us take for granted," she told Frances Broatch from Welcom.

Walsh was made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2015 for her work as a sports administrator.

She was the chief operating officer for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand and the head of the New Zealand organising committee for the 2015 Cricket World Cup.

Walsh has contributed significantly outside the sporting arena too. She:

• serves on the Boards of NZX, ASB Bank, Air New Zealand and is chair of Television New Zealand.
• is a member of the Government's Major Events Investment Panel, chairs the International Development Advisory and Selection Panel for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and serves on the Government's Strategic Risk and Resilience Panel.
• is a trustee of Wellington Regional Stadium and a Victoria University Council Member.

Welcom reported that since the Trust opened in July 2013, almost 100 women have passed through its doors with around half supported into permanent housing.

The experiences the women bring are varied. Some women come with just the plastic bags they carry, without ID and with different levels of physical and mental-health needs. They may not be registered with a GP or other services to support their individual needs and, in most cases, are exhausted from constant moving and insecurity.

Some have overwhelming legal issues and no resources to communicate with relevant government agencies so that they can be accepted in long-term housing. Others have been ‘sleeping rough' or are reliant on others who aren't safe.

The Trust relies on donations and grants to continue its work. Visit Wellington Homeless Women's Trust to offer support or seek more information.

Source

• Stuff
• Wikipedia
• Welcom
• Wellington Homeless Women's Trust
• Image: Radio Sport

Debra Meyers, a member of the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWR), was invited to lead a Sunday prayer service at Lydia's House in Ohio on the feast of St Mary Magdelene.

The $700 promised by Cincinnati archdiocese was supposed to go towards buying a new washer and dryer for the shelter, which is run in the Catholic Worker tradition.

But it said it wouldn't reimburse money Lydia's House had already spent, after it found out about Ms Meyer's involvement.

The archdiocese said the money would be given to an organisation that supports the homeless, maintains Catholic teaching, and is congruent with the expectations of the archdiocese.

"Donors are promised their contributions will not be used to support organisations that stand in opposition to the teachings of the Catholic Church," the archdiocese stated.

By hosting a public prayer service presided over by someone who claims to be a Catholic priest but is not, Lydia's House has chosen to put itself in that category," the statement continued.

But since the funding was withdrawn, and this was publicised in the media, more than $9500 in donations has come in.

Most of the support came from local donors in Cincinnati.

Lydia's House says it will share the funding with other shelters.

"The archdiocese seems to care a lot about what they are against," Mary Ellen Mitchell, a founder of Lydia's House told the National Catholic Reporter.

"What we would like to figure out is what are we all for and work together on those things," she said.

Ms Meyers, a professor of history at Northern Kentucky University, told NCR she did not intend to celebrate Mass at Lydia's House.

"I don't think anyone should object to anyone leading a prayer service," Ms Meyers said.

"The priestly thing and the ordination thing really shouldn't have mattered."

The ARCWP donated $1000 to Lydia's House.

Sources

• National Catholic Reporter (Donations come in)
• Cincinnati Enquirer
• National Catholic Reporter (Funding withdrawn)
• Image: St Louis Blues