Comcare Trust
Recovery focused and Builds on People’s Strengths and Delivers Positive Results for People and their Families to live well in the Community.
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Rangatiratanga
Whanaungatanga
Manaakitanga
Kotahitanga
Kaitiakitanga
Our Vision
People who experience mental illness and addictions living well
Our Mission
To contribute positively to the recovery of people who experience mental illness and addictions through the provision of quality community services, social housing, and by supporting mental health sector development.
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Head Office
334 Lincoln Road
Christchurch 8024Rangiora
3 Alfred Street
Rangiora 7400Postal Address
PO Box 22 004
Christchurch 8140Ashburton
44 Cass Street – Community House
Ashburton 7700Website:
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Welcome to Comcare’s Single Point of Entry (Referral/Inquiry/ Introduction) process (SPOE)
We have improved and streamlined how people can contact us with a referral or inquiry about our services. Now all referrals to Comcare services can be made via our new ‘Generic Referral Form (except for a Community Support Worker through the Community Access Pathway CAP below).
Simply complete this form and submit.
All referrals will be processed by our Triage team and our Triage Practitioner will assist with navigation, both within Comcare and the wider sector.
If you have any queries or wish to discuss a potential referral, please don’t hesitate to contact us: 0800 377 702
Ko te whakaora, he hīkoi whakāmarama. Māna anō tōna ake ara whakaora e whakarau
A journey of discovery where an individual leads their own unique process of moving forwards
Kia ora, Welcome to Comcare Trust – Te WHĀNAU WHĀNUI
Comcare Trust is an innovative, forward thinking organisation that:
Is recovery focused and builds on people’s strengths
Delivers positive results for people and their families to live well in the community
Takes a practical approach, doing what is necessary to assist people to overcome the barriers to independence and moving forward
Offers services and supports known to have significant impact on wellbeing such as:
Personal support and relationships
Housing
Employment
Physical health
We have services across Waitaha (Canterbury) and in Ōtepoti (Dunedin).
If you want to talk with someone about Comcare and how we might be able to help, please free phone 0800 537 3464 or email using contact us or complete a referral using the buttons on the righthand side of this page.
Click here to download and print Comcare Services Brochure
About Us
Comcare is a New Zealand registered Charitable Trust whose purpose is to assist people who experience mental illness and addictions live well in the Canterbury community.
Established in 1987, the early emphasis was on assisting people who had experienced long stays in mental institutions integrate into local communities. Since that time, the Trust has evolved and broadened its services to remain at the cutting edge of modern mental health practice. The Trust provides a rich and diverse range of Social Housing and Mental Health Support Services to the local community and freely offers advice, guidance and collaboration nationally.
Comcare is a practical organisation, understanding that health improvement is gained from a whole of life approach that assists people grow their confidence and skills to manage their own lives.
Comcare works from a Recovery orientation that identifies and builds on people’s strengths to assist them manage the challenges in life, grow personal confidence and build resilience.
How We Work
Strengths Based Approach - Service delivery is based on a Recovery/Strengths approach where:
The service user owns their recovery process
Hope is encouraged, enhanced and/or maintained
The focus is on enhancing the strengths, abilities and resiliency of an individual
All people are treated as equals with the capacity to learn, change, make life decisions and choices, and take action to create life change – no matter how severe their symptoms
A holistic view is applied
Access to resources, opportunities and meaningful relationships is encouraged
The best clinical treatment is applied
Family involvement is encouraged.
Recovery - A journey of recovery where an individual leads their own unique process of moving forwards
Comcare believes that:
Everyone has strengths and capacities
All people have the ability to change given the right conditions and resources
People can change and grow their strengths and abilities
People are their own experts
A problem is the problem, the person is not the problem
Problems can block people from noticing and appreciating their strengths and finding their own solutions
Building open and honest relationships promotes growth
The power for change is within us all.
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Comcare is a specialist registered Community Housing Provider (CHP) through the Community Housing Regulatory Authority (CHRA), which is part of the New Zealand Government’s Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).
From small beginnings, the organisation is now a substantial provider of social housing in the Canterbury region. We specialise in housing single people, either in group situations of 2, 3 or 4 bedroomed homes, or in single bedroom flats in small complexes situated around Christchurch.
Comcare has developed and owns a significant part of the portfolio, however leases a number of properties to complete its available housing stock. The portfolio is overseen by a team of property and tenancy management staff with tenant and client welfare at the heart of its operations.
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Comcare’s Community Support Work offers assistance with the activities that form part of an individual’s daily life.
Support Workers assist with areas such as financial management, relationship building with friends and family, taking first steps back to an active life and work, managing the demands of children and a home, developing workable routines around living and health care needs.
The range of work is broad and is developed through personalised planning based on supporting the individual to use their strengths to overcome barriers to their independence and autonomy.
A Continuing Support Service is available for people with long term support needs. Individuals receive ongoing support and guidance with life skills e.g. (budgeting, leisure/recreation, social skills, communication, conflict resolution, and personal hygiene) to ensure they can continue to live in their chosen environment and have the support to access the community activities of their choice.
Our community support services are fully mobile and provided in Christchurch urban areas and rural districts of Ashburton, Rangiora and North Canterbury, Selwyn and Banks Peninsula.
For access and referral information, please click here.
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Safe, appropriate, affordable and sustainable housing is essential to maintaining mental and physical wellbeing. Comcare has developed a range of housing support services over many years, growing and adapting social and emergency housing models to address homelessness, risk of housing loss, maintenance of tenancies, and achieving a good quality of life.
Services address housing instability focusing on those who are homeless and those having issue sustaining a tenancy.
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Comcare’s Jobconnect service provides full employment search and support to job seekers and employers. Information and advice is part of the service as well as assisting people select suitable training options for those wishing to update their skills as part of their employment seeking journey.
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Comcare’s Peer Support Service supports people, through shared experience, to make sense of what is happening for them and how they want to move forward. A Peer Supporter can meet regularly with a person face to face or support can be given over the phone, which means we’re able to offer peer support services all across Christchurch and Canterbury.
Our Peer Support services are based on the internationally recognised Principles of Intentional Peer Support, summarised as Relational, Learning Focused and Purposeful.
Other Peer Support
Pre-vocational Peer Support, North Canterbury Peer Support, Peer Support Training, Peer Health Coaching.
Referrals
Peer Support is for anyone who is struggling with mental illness and/or addictions. People can self-refer, be referred by SMHS, their GP or other community services.
For access and referral information, please click here.
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Comcare Trust:
Understands that recovery for people who experience severe mental illness is supported by participation in activities and through access to resources and services, that are part of the wider community
Believes that people who experience mental illness have a right to dignity, privacy, safety, independent advocacy and choice
Is committed to services that are service user focused and are planned, developed and evaluated in collaboration with service users and other relevant stakeholders
Upholds the rights of Tangata Whenua as guaranteed by the articles of the Treaty of Waitangi
Values a culture for staff that is productive, supportive and creative
Aims to be an innovative organisation that accomplishes what it sets out to do
Aims to research and investigate new directions in service delivery to achieve the Trust’s mission based on best practice and identified positive outcomes for service users.
Aoraki and Te Tiritiri o te Moana (Southern Alps) depicts the purakau and whakapapa of the Waitaha, Kati Mamoe, Rapuwai, Ngati Hawea and Kai Tahu people.
It speaks about when Aoraki the son of Rakinui, the sky father, along with his brothers left the realms of heaven to visit their mother Papatuanuku to voyage the seas and earth within their mighty waka. As darkness approached, they decided to return to Rakinui.
As Aoraki started to recite his karakia to free the waka of the earth’s surface, he wavered momentarily as he was distracted by the fearful cries of his brothers which in turn caused the waka to remain. The brothers froze and over time turned to rock and become part of the landscape.
Aoraki become the highest peak and his name remained, and his brothers formed part of the Southern Alps and the waka (Te Waka o Aoraki) became the South Island.
Rakaihautuu the ancestor of the Waitaha people also the Kaihautu of the Uruoa waka, is believed to have carved out all lakes and rivers throughout the South Island and some of the north Island with his koa (Tuwhakaroria).
Comcare Uara have been defined by our staff, shaped by our community and gifted by Iwi. They are the foundation and essence of everything we stand and strive for. “Me te reo rongo mea hinengaro kua tau, Me te whanau whakaruruhau Puta mai te oho ote ara hou”.
With a voice that is heard with a mind that is settled and with a whanau that is sheltered, come forth the awakening of a new pathway.
Our vision Our moemoea Our way.
The braided rivers depict the interwoven journeys that we embark upon, navigating sometimes turbulent waters before we reach our destination.
The waka supports the journeys we undertake and help us move in unison.
The Pounamu toki has deep meaning and symbolism associated with mana, reverence, strength and bravery. These are some of the attributes needed to embark on the journeys we make.
