Orange Sky volunteers Jill Taylor, anonymous, Ella Young, Amanda Graham, Skekinah Clayton and Pania Robinson. Photo / Zahn Trotter
Orange Sky volunteers Jill Taylor, anonymous, Ella Young, Amanda Graham, Skekinah Clayton and Pania Robinson. Photo / Zahn Trotter
Australian non-profit organisation Orange Sky officially launched its fifth New Zealand shower and laundry van for the homeless in Hamilton last week.
While the launch was only on Tuesday, the van has already been operating for the past two weeks.
Orange Sky programme manager community impact Lisa Sprlyan says the Hamilton van currently goes to 10 different locations across the city every week. In the first week, about 30 people have been coming to wash their clothes and shower, but she expects the number to grow once the service is established, Sprlyan says.
“We see a lot of people sleeping in their cars, more than expected. Some live in a car but still work somewhere, so they need to have a shower and wash their clothes,” she says.
Founded in Brisbane in 2014, Orange Sky launched its first service in New Zealand in 2018 and already had four vans operating around the country: two in Auckland, one in Wellington and one in Christchurch.
Like the other New Zealand vans, Hamilton’s - called Dan the Van because of the main funder DV Bryant Trust - features two washing machines and two dryers, including washing powder, as well as a shower with personal care products. Dan the Van is also the first of the five New Zealand vans to be solar-powered. The other four vans will get the solar upgrade over time.
Dan the Van is named after DV Bryant Trust founder, Waikato farmer Daniel Vickery Bryant. The trust is the van's main funder. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer
The volunteers running the shifts also support people doing it tough through non-judgmental conversation.
Sprlyan says the service was not only for the homeless.
“Some people who have come to us live somewhere but don’t have a washing machine... [The service] is also about the social aspect. It’s for everyone.”
The launch of Orange Sky’s Hamilton service comes after the charity visited the city in January this year as part of a national tour to find out where else their shower and laundry vans were needed.
The van contains two washing machines, two dryers, including laundry detergent and a shower with personal hygiene products. Photo / Danielle Zollickhofer
Orange Sky Aotearoa senior fundraising manager Katie Hart, who visted Hamilton with the van, said the city has been identified as an area of need.
“Based on the 2018 Severe Housing Deprivation Report, out of the 41,412 people classified as severely housing deprived across New Zealand, 3.6 per cent of the population reside within Hamilton - third behind Auckland and Christchurch,” Hart said.
Sprlyan says the connection between the numerous local charity organisations and community centres was integral to set up the service.
“This is a very engaging community. The collaboration, organisations working together and sharing knowledge where to help people stood out to me. It’s the start of a really good service,” she says.
The shifts are volunteer-run and while the Hamilton service already has over 30 volunteers covering shifts, Sprlyan says they are still looking for more.
“The more volunteers we have, the more shifts we can run. The van is here, [it] could be out every day helping people,” Sprlyan says.
To find a shift visit the Orange Sky website. To put your hand up as an Orange Sky volunteer in Hamilton click here.
