Here 2 Help U: New, free one-stop-shop for all your social needs

Multimedia Journalist, Bay of Plenty Times·Bay of Plenty Times·

4 Sep, 2021 09:00 PM5 mins to read

Here 2 Help U Tauranga and Western Bay connectors Amanda Gabb (left) and Sarah Baldock. Photo / Supplied

A new, free one-stop-shop is set to make accessing any social support easier.

Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty residents can now access free wellbeing and social support at their fingertips through a community response website - Here 2 Help U.

People go online, add their information, the information goes into one place and gets distributed to all of the partner agencies that might be able to help.

Wellbeing, hardship and social service support available through Here 2 Help U includes help with food parcels, collection services, mental health support, child and youth support, employment support, and safe social connection.

The easy-to-use tool was developed during New Zealand's first lockdown last year and has already supported thousands of people in Hamilton where it was founded 16 months ago.

There are currently two specialist connectors - Amanda Gabb and Sarah Baldock - for the Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty area.

Their job is to connect anyone in need to the more than 30 community providers already on board.

Gabb said there had been steady interest from providers keen to join, with more providers added each day.

Here 2 Help U had a soft launch into Tauranga and the Western Bay in June with a focus on getting community providers in the local area on board.

The public launch was planned for last Saturday but was brought forward when the country went into lockdown to ensure the public could get the support needed.

The community rollout was led by the Wise Group.

Gabb said requests for support spiked when the lockdown was announced with most of the need for food.

When someone submitted a request, one of the two connectors called them to better understand their needs to make sure they were being given the support they needed.

Here 2 Help U Tauranga and Western Bay connectors Amanda Gabb (left) and Sarah Baldock. Photo / Supplied

The pair was supported by a team of specialist co-ordinators and managers in Hamilton.

When there was high demand, Gabb said this team would step in and help in the Bay of Plenty.

Felicity Beadle of Wise Group said rolling out the support in other towns and cities depended on where there was interest, and there were several areas showing interest in the service.

Beadle said the success in Hamilton "surpassed all our expectations" and there had been a high pick-up of the service within the Māori and Pasifika communities.

She said feedback from the service has been positive in Hamilton, with people expressing how easy it was to use and how they did not feel judged telling their story.

In Tauranga, it was jointly funded by TECT, the Ministry of Social Development, Tauranga City Council, as well as others who have gotten behind the initiative.

She said the organisation would have an independent social impact review later this year, as it was "constantly looking to evolve".

SocialLink general manager Liz Davies. Photo / File

SocialLink general manager Liz Davies said the new service meant people didn't need to repeat their story to each service provider which was "time-consuming, frustrating and often people give up".

"Clients will not fall between the cracks when trying to access services."

She said people needing services usually had to ring around multiple organisations.

She said many providers found their clients needed a range of services, and this would save time for clients and providers alike.

She said having the connectors do that instead was a game-changer; and if one service wasn't available, the connectors would keep going until they found a service that could help.

Here 2 Help U also collected data about services needed, demographics of those needing help and which areas the requests came from - and was already collecting useful data, she said.

This would provide evidence to build cases for funding for additional services in areas of the highest demand, she said.

Tauranga City Council had been "working closely" with the Wise Group and other key stakeholders, general manager of community services Gareth Wallis said at a Tauranga City council meeting on Monday.

Tauranga City Council community services general manager Gareth Wallis. Photo / File

"It's basically a one-stop-shop for members of the community that need help in times like we're in at the moment."

Wallis said the programme already had "significant pick-up".

"It's working really well in terms of channelling support into one place where we can then distribute it to the appropriate agencies to provide the kind of support people need."