High hopes for safe personal growth
A Man & A Vision
Beth-Shean Trust was incorporated under the Charitable Trusts Act, in 1995.
The vision for it originated with Barry Millson in the early 1990’s, following several years work within the NGO mental health sector. This vision was expanded and clarified over time, until the Trust was formed, and the initial respite work began in 1996. The Trust was the earliest provider of a designated mental health crisis respite facility in Auckland, and one of the earliest in New Zealand.
The desire was to create a home-like, safe place that looked and felt comfortable and inviting, and where people would feel respected, understood and encouraged.
God’s timing was evident, in that the formation of the Trust and our desire to provide some sort of mental health ‘respite’ service coincided with the Auckland Area Health Board and other bodies preparing to fund respite for their service users. After a year of ‘experimenting’ (when Barry and Miriam took a number of guests into their home upon referral by a local mental health centre), a larger house was rented from Community Housing, a division of Housing New Zealand who provide homes for community groups.
Development
Between 1997 – 2000, the service provided for up to three guests at a time, from this house in Sandringham. Many people stayed over this period, and we began to develop good relationships with the mental health staff who provided clinical cover for our guests, and to gain valuable experience in the practicalities of operating such a unique service.
The vision grows
Many welcomed in
Current Location
The Auckland District Health Board asked us to expand, and in May 2000 we moved to our current location. Five guests can now be accommodated, with an average of 3.5 on any given night over the last 17 years. People come from across central Auckland, from a wide variety of cultures, age groups, religions, and life experiences. Some have used mental health services for many years, while for others it may be a new and perhaps fearful experience.
There is a growing pool of guests who have stayed here on more than one occasion, with some becoming regular visitors. Despite this, over the sixteen years the Trust has been in operation, we have met new people each week. We estimate well over 5,000 people have stayed in the service between 1996 and now.
Over these years the service has matured and grown in confidence as guests, their families, the mental health services and others have expressed appreciation for the house and the opportunities it provides to guests. The people who stay here, and Trust staff, have been the major influences on this.