The need for social service support in the Waikato district is great, if the numbers coming out of a community initiative that helps those facing hardship are anything to go by.

Since launching in the Waikato district in February 2022, ‘Here to help u’ has facilitated more than 6600 residents within the Waikato district to connect with local community providers through 6,067 help requests*.

‘Here to help u’ is an online community support tool supported by community providers, volunteers and funders to provide hardship and social service support to those in need. The tool makes it easy for people to request help 24/7.

“Waikato District Council is proud to be one of the stable of organisations backing ‘Here to help u’ to support the wellbeing of our communities,” says Waikato District Council Resilience Manager Kelly Newell.

“The online service connects individuals and whānau with free assistance in a variety of different areas, from food parcels, prepared meals, collection of items service, mental health support and safe social connection.”

Requests for support have sky-rocketed during COVID-19 across the Waikato district, with ‘Here to help u’ services supporting those stuck in isolation, with COVID-19 or with elevated health risks. The increase in COVID cases this year has driven even more demand for their services.

Since February, ‘Here to help u’ has helped to supply over 3,600 food parcels, 550 prepared meals, 542 medical supplies, 64 RAT tests, 1,286 hygiene/sanitary items and much more to the Waikato district community – and this number is only growing every day.

About

It’s okay to ask for help, and with ‘Here to help u’, seeking support is as easy as 1, 2, 3!

1. Submit a help request
2. A friendly connector will contact you to understand all your needs
3. Get all the help you need

A large focus for ‘Here to help u’ is prompt response and action, with 98% of help requests received between 12 May and 12 July receiving a response within 24 hours.

If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, would like to volunteer, if you are a provider keen to provide support for those in your community, or if your business is keen to support this initiative then head to the ‘Here to help u’ website to learn more.

*Stats as at 14 July 2022.

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