Taking the first step can lead to positive changes for whanau
It can take a lot of courage to walk through the doors at Mangere Budgeting Services and ask for help when you are low, but Aroha found it was one of the best things she did to help get her financial wellbeing back on track and reduce her stress.
“I highly recommend the services that Mangere Budgeting Trust provides. As a single-parent household, it can be financially stressful and overwhelming trying to provide the necessary tools needed to ensure my children’s schooling needs are met.
Had I not taken the necessary steps to get my financial situation under control I would never have discovered the resources and extra help available. Education support Service that Mangere Budgeting provides, helped alleviate some of that pressure. My son now has his very own laptop thanks to that initiative”
When our financial mentors work with whanau they look at all the ways clients need support and what is causing stress to the family.
We complete a needs assessment for our clients and help them navigate through our in-house services such as education support, housing advocacy and counselling. We can also work with clients to pathway them to other support services in the community.
Tammy, one of our Financial Mentors, knows that it isn’t just about the reason that the client came that day, for a budget or advice, but that you need to look at a client’s situation as a whole to find ways to help “When we see clients like Aroha, we know that working on their day-to-day finances is just one piece of the puzzle. There are lots of things that add to financial pressure and in some cases like this it’s the education support that can make a difference while we work on the longer-term solutions”.
Over the last year Mangere Budgeting Services Trust have been able to help over 120 learners through financial support with school fees, uniform costs and accessing resources such as chromebooks and stationery. This means that parents can focus on paying off debt or affording every day basic needs and it can help tamariki feel more positive about school and advance their learning.
“The team at MBT have been exceptional, they are knowledgeable, supportive and encouraging, they have helped me to change my perspective on how I budget and have helped strategise an easy to follow plan. I feel hopeful of what the future holds for my family and I am positive that my sons will highly benefit from the resources that have been provided.”