Bindy’s story.
A Light After the Dark
After a life of living on the street, addictions, and time in jail, Bindy now supports others who are experiencing homelessness in our city. She has a real understanding of the reality of the issues our community is facing.
“We had a hard life growing up in Hastings. I was the third oldest of eight children, and mum loved us kids. We didn’t see my dad. He was a shearer, and his life was working and alcohol. None of the money he earned made it back to us. We had nothing, not even shoes on our feet. As little kids, we started working with Mum in the orchards and paddocks to help put kai on the table.
“I felt lost and lonely, especially seeing my mates with their dads. I started retaliating by doing crime at around primary age. I hated the world because I hated my dad. No one could tell me what to do, and I started getting into the court system. I remember a judge calling me a menace to society, so I acted like one. At the age of 10 I was taken from my mum by social welfare, to live in different girls’ homes. I became a survivor of sexual abuse. I was hollow inside, and I started sniffing petrol and glue.
“I moved to Wellington for a relationship in the early 80s when I was just a young girl, and ended up living on the streets. We were street kids and street lifers. All of us came from dysfunctional homes, and were lost in the big wide world. Back then, the community wanted us out because of our behaviours and addictions, so the police had a plan to move us into shipping containers in the suburbs. But it didn’t work because the people who lived out there didn’t want us either, so we just ended up back in the city.
“Living on the streets you get anxious, and winter is the hardest time. You can’t really sleep, and you have to keep yourself warm to survive because it’s blimmin’ cold. You’re always on edge, and it feels like you’re taking your last breath all the time because you don’t know what’s coming for you next. And then you’ve got some of the public being hard on you too. That’s when you see people using drugs and alcohol to keep warm, and keep their minds off their reality.
“I used to go to the Mission when it was in Newtown. They served soup and sandwiches, and it was a good place for us to be. But deep down I was always missing something bigger. I hated the world and I took it out on myself. I was still a little girl inside, but all you saw of me was the drugs, and I ended up in and out of jail throughout my life.
“As I got older I started getting a bit wiser, and realised I needed to take better care of myself. I gave up the drugs and stopped offending, but I was still living on the street and it was hard to find a place to live with my criminal record. A couple of years ago, two ladies from an accommodation hostel gave me a chance. That chance gave me hope, and I’ve been living there ever since.
“Since Whakamaru opened, it has also brought a new light to my life. I love coming here every day. The aroha is very strong. You can see the care when they give someone a towel for a shower, the compassion when they do someone’s laundry, and the love in the kai they serve. It makes us feel ‘normal’, because everywhere else we go we feel different and unwanted.
“Whakamaru is bringing hope to people who think they have nothing, and you can see it in the smiles. It’s not just homeless either, a lot of people come here for company, especially our kaumātua who don’t want to be alone. This is a place where anyone can come and feel safe, and know they won’t be judged. It’s a very homely environment for people who don’t have a home.
“You can get involved with group activities too. I didn’t know I could play music, but I started joining the weekly ukulele group, Te Whānau Nui, with Arthur. That has given me a new strength. Now when I’m playing and singing I feel confident and proud of myself, that’s something you would have never heard me say before! I’m coming up to 60 this year, and being here has given me the chance I needed to go from a person who thought they were nothing to being someone. I know other homeless people can do that too, so every day I try to give others hope with my story, smiles, and encouragement.
“Homelessness really should have been fixed when I was young, but the big issues were swept under the rug and it’s only got worse. Now people haven’t got a choice. They have serious addiction and mental health problems. They have no homes to go to, and they think they don’t matter. We even have our children and elders on the streets, and that’s just sad.
“Society is going more individual, and this problem is only going to get worse if we keep going in the same direction. This is Aotearoa! We’re meant to be a beautiful country, and I know you’ll see changes when people have hope. We need to have compassion now – not just to give out fines or chuck people in jail because that affects how the homeless see themselves in society. We don’t want to fight, we want help. Knowing somebody cares about you helps you start breathing again. I hear every day how much the Mission’s support is helping. So I say come in and see the happiness when you feed us, when you shower us, and when you care for us.
“I’d like to thank organisations like the Mission and everyone who donates. Thank you very much for opening your hearts to the lost, and thank you for accepting us. You’re giving us another chance.
“Tātou katoa, we are one! Let’s stand together as one to fix the people, and give our next generation a life.”
