Pregnant, afraid and homeless – a mother shares her story
One day, Constable Tony came across us in the park. He helped us into accommodation so we could have a better place to live.
We were still having family violence issues, so Tony referred us to the team at Catholic Social Services (CSS). They worked really closely with us, making sure that we had wrap around support.
Sergeant Martin from the police family harm team, encouraged us to get help from CSS.
Our social worker and counsellor at CSS helped me when I fell pregnant again. We were very concerned that we wouldn’t get the chance to parent our baby.
We finally learnt how to communicate better and to live in a healthy relationship without any violence.
We are very grateful to the police for introducing us to Catholic Social Services, and for all the support that CSS has given and is continuing to provide for us.
If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence, please contact the following: In the first instance, please call the police on 111. For counselling services, and social worker support, please contact Catholic Social Services on (09 378 9650) or email: [email protected]
Catholic Social Service’s mission of “Christ’s compassion in our community” is lived in their daily commitment to serve Auckland’s most vulnerable families through the provision of social work and counselling services.
They’ve continued this mission during lock-down in levels 3 and 4 as a designated essential service. They run their services through two offices in Ponsonby and Otara and remotely. They also work closely with other essential service agencies, such as St Vincent de Paul who were instrumental in ensuring that many families were able to get food. They are also grateful to parishes, businesses, and individuals for their contributions.