Waikato Women's Refuge - Te Whakaruruhau

Te Whakaruruhau Women's Refuge is the organisation that turns up day in and day out to rescue women and children from hostile situations - and now the organisation needs the community's help. The refuge has been given a large house, from Braemar Hospital, consisting of 10 rooms, two living areas, two dining areas and three bathrooms. The challenge is they have to move it to a new location and renovate it by Christmas to house families in need. Currently there are five safe houses in Hamilton that shield families from violence. The new edition will mean the refuge, which is already at full capacity, will be able to handle the referrals that are coming in from outside of Waikato. The manager of Te Whakaruruhau Women's Refuge, Ruahine Albert, said the challenge for the refuge is to get at least $250,000 worth of support in the form of labour, building supplies and donations for the de-construction and relocation of the house which must be completed by Christmas. ""This home will be a safe house for our most vulnerable women and children in crisis from 2015 onwards . It will provide an additional facility for not only safe housing but will be a place [for] children's programmes."" Albert said they needed a lot of help from building experts. ""We humbly seek any form of assistance to join us in this challenge. Our Kaumatua have named this home - Te Rau Aroha - a challenge of love,"" she said. The house used to be the Salvation Army Nest residence and was recently relinquished to the hospital which purchased the site in 2005. Initial plans were to bulldoze the house and utilise the land, but Braemar Hospital CEO Paul Bennett said the house needed to go to an organisation that does good in the community. ""We just thought that would be a waste and there are organisations out there that could make use of it and the women's refuge put their hands up."" PB Property Business Ltd manager Paul Barnett has donated his time to project manage the relocation of the home. ""I am determined to see this project through for the amazing people at Te Whakaruruhau refuge and for our country's women and children,"" Barnett said. ""I request the assistance of the building and construction industry to join me in the spirit of giving, to achieve the ultimate goal of having the house nestled on new foundations and re-constructed to watertight by Christmas."" Previously the donated house was the family home at the Salvation Army's The Nest site and is currently residing in Ohaupo Road Hamilton. Te Whakaruruhau women's refuge provides a range of services including emergency shelter and safe-housing of women and children in crisis in the Waikato region. Its services have been under increasingly severe pressure over the past twelve months. Safe houses are at full capacity. Each month Te Whakaruruhau Women's Refuge assists between 500 and 700 women and children in need.