JANUARY 30_STAR

Thursday January 30 2020 The Star
The Otautahi
Community
Housing Trust is
nine months into
a pilot programme
which places its
tenants into jobs. It
is currently seeking
funding for it to
continue beyond
May. Louis Day
reports on how the
programme found
one man a job
after spending the
majority of his life on
the benefit
AUSTEN SPRIGGS had been on
the benefit for 24 years.
The 42-year-old was born into a
beneficiary family.
“When you are brought up into
a beneficiary family you sort of
become institutionalised into it,”
he said.
But in November, his life
changed completely: He got a job
the day he signed up to the Otautahi
Community Housing Trust’s
employment coach programme.
He works as an asbestos
labourer with TechClean that
is currently working at the old
Linwood College site.
Since being employed in
November, he has completed his
training and is now a fully qualified
class A and class B asbestos
labourer.
TechClean Canterbury manager
James Ackroyd said Mr
Spriggs was “a dream to work
with.”
“Austen has been superb as a
worker and also on a personal
level,” he said.
In order to become a supervisor
Mr Spriggs needs at least two
years of experience. This was
something he said he wouldn’t
rule out going for in the future.
MAN AT WORK: Austen Spriggs shows Otautahi Community Housing Trust job coach
Tracie Palmer around the site he now works on.
PHOTO: GEOFF SLOAN
Mr Spriggs said his new job
had given him a “new lease of
life.”
“I am definitely the happiest I
have been in a long time. I don’t
have anxiety anymore.
“It is good being around the
other guys, they really are quite
good guys. It is great to have a
laugh with them, it is so much
better than being isolated in a
little flat all day.
“I don’t have any plans of going
anywhere anytime soon.”
He said the programme had
specifically helped him with
formulating a CV, getting
appropriate clothing for a
job interview and his overall
confidence.
“I was a bit lost, I had that long
time off work, I have dyslexia
as well which just makes things
even harder.
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Long-term beneficiary finds
job gives new lease on life
“I didn’t know how to find a
job, I kind of just lost touch with
all of that. I am useless with
computers.
“I definitely would have struggled
just doing it [finding a job]
by myself, I don’t think I would
have had a job by now,” he said.
The programme started in May
2019 and is currently scheduled
to run to the end of May this
year.
However, Otautahi Community
Housing Trust tenancy
operations manager Martin
Pearce said it was currently
seeking funding to ensure the
programme continues. He said it
was “hopeful” of securing more
funding.
Mr Pearce said since the programme
began it had helped 10
tenants into employment and a
further five into educational and
occupational programmes.
He said the programme has
provided support to 50 tenants
in total.
Along with help formulating
CVs, getting interview clothes,
job searching, interview skills,
travel and ongoing support six
months into employment, the
programme also has a job club
where tenants can share ideas
and support each other in finding
work.
Job coach Tracie Palmer, who
has spearheaded the programme,
said the job club had a significant
impact on the overall wellbeing
of tenants.
“There is lots of improvement
in well-being with a lot of them.
They might not all get a job
straight away but you do see that
wellbeing improve at the very
least,” she said.
NEWS 7
Mosque
leader
to speak
at US
conference
• By Louis Day
THE IMAM of Al Noor Mosque
Gamal Fouda will feature
as the keynote speaker at an
international conference aimed at
challenging Islamaphobia.
The challenging
Islamophobia
Conference
in Minnesota,
which will take
place a year and
two days after
the mosque
shootings on
March 17,
invites speakers
from across
Imam
Gamal Fouda
the globe to discuss challenging
Islamaphobia.
Imam Gamal Fouda received
widespread praise for his response
in the aftermath of the March 15
terror attack.
A week after the shootings
he led a call to prayer in Hagley
Park where thousands of people
including Prime Minister Jacinda
Ardern heard his message that
“evil ideology” will never triumph
over “love and unity.”
He was also elected to the
Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton
Community Board in last year’s
local body elections.
The Council on American Islamic
Relations, which is hosting
the event, will be covering all of
Mr Fouda’s travel and expenses.
Council On American Islamic
Relations chief executive Jaylani
Hussein said Mr Fouda was
chosen as the keynote speaker
mainly because of his leadership
and representation of the Muslim
community in Christchurch.
On Tuesday, the city
council announced a national
rememberance service of the
mosque shootings would be held
on March 15 in North Hagley
Park.