Advocate to sample Big Apple's sour core

Helen Gatonyi hopes to bring back sustainable solutions for homelessness. Photo / John McCombe

For Helen Gatonyi, the chance to spend time with homeless people on the streets of New York is like "winning the jackpot".

Gatonyi is the manager of the Christchurch Tenants Protection Association, which is a free advisory service.

And thanks to the Cathay Pacific/Herald on Sunday High Flyers Awards, she will get to see how similar agencies work on the mean streets of the Big Apple.

The association aims to ensure people know about the law relating to tenancy and their rights and responsibilities, offers help with disputes and supports people involved with Tenancy Tribunal Hearings and applications.

In New York, Gatonyi will spend time with Common Ground, a similar organisation to the TPA which builds and operates apartments for homeless and low-income people. It also runs an outreach programme for the most vulnerable people and works to prevent homelessness.

"Their mission is to solve homelessness and I am hoping to work with them on the ground on a project that's delivering direct solutions for people who are homeless," Gatonyi said.

"We are really impressed with [their] programme. We are very interested in looking at sustainable solutions for people who are homeless and facing homelessness."

She hoped to turn her lessons in New York into a "package" that she could share with other interested groups.

Gatonyi said winning the High Flyer Award was "absolutely fantastic".

"It's fabulous. We are a small agency and we really struggle for resources. We are working really, really hard ... this is recognition of [that]," she said.

"I am really excited and totally surprised and overwhelmed for this fantastic opportunity. We are eternally grateful - this is like winning the jackpot."