Helping Families, Helping Kids

Family Support Centre Project

What Are We Doing? – The Project

Catholic Social Services supports more than 300 families a year with a variety of services to help home to be a good place for kids to grow up. The demand for our services keep growing and to meet that need we are planning to build a new Family Support Facility in partnership with The Sisters of Mercy at 25 Broughton St South Dunedin. So we can help more kids by helping more families like the stories below.

The cost of this project is around $1,400,000, but with two thirds of the funding in place, we are well on the way to making this a reality.

We are now inviting others to join us in making a difference for the next generation by making a donation towards this awesome opportunity.

Donate to Our Project!

Fundraising Progress

You can help – We have a good start in our fundraising to reach our ambitious goal but we need more help. If you would like to dontate then simply click on the button below. We’ll update our progress on here so you can follow along with us!

Donate Now

Funds received so far from:
♥ J Egerton est ♥ J Baker Eames estate ♥ Otago Community Trust
♥ Alexander Macmillan ♥ AAWJones ♥ Private donors

A Little Story

Not that many years ago a baby was born to a young mum, a mum that most people thought had not much hope of succeeding. However those people had not taken into account the value of the dedicated support of the CSS staff or the importance of the services CSS provides. Today that mum is on the way to living life well and her kids know what it is to be supported, to be loved and to be cared for. It has not been a particularly easy road to get here, as this mums own childhood was not that flash, but she has shown herself time and again to be so much more than what those people thought she was capable of and with the support of CSS her kids have a better chance of living their own live’s well.

The Project In Detail

This building will provide a base for more staff to engage with families and work on plans together to live life well. It will also provide lots of space for groups the CSS run, such as Playgroups for Mums and dads, parenting courses and individual support services to help mums and dads develop their skills as parents and brings smiles back to kids faces.

The Building is being built by Genius Homes and the landscaping will encourage the wonder of the natural world and support the great work of children, i.e. their play.

Having this space will also free up more room for CSS to provide more of the counselling and therapeutic support CSS offers to individual adults, children and to couples.

We Support Dads Too

Supporting dads is important for kids too. A young man we supported was so in love with his baby but so scared to pick her up in case he broke her. With support from our team he learnt to be confident in picking the baby up, dancing with her and comforting her much to the delight of the wee one. In so doing he built a great safe connection and attachment on which great lives are built.

How You Can Help

Contributions can be made online to:

Catholic Social Services
06-0901-0054890-27

OR Click here to make a credit card donation.

Reference your name and Centre donations Tax deductible.

Find out more by signing up for our newsletter and you will be provided progress reports on our new building alongside the great work CSS is doing in meeting the growing need for help in our communities.

Email: office@cathsocialservices.org.nz or give us a call on 03 455 3838

Consider a payment over time…

$1000 over 3 years @ $6.41 a week
$3,000 over 3 years @ $19.23 a week
$5,000 over 3 Years @ $32.05 per week
$10,000 over 3 years @ $64.10 a week
$20,000 over 3 years @ $128.21 a week
$50,000 over 3 years @ $320.51 a week

Watch Our Video

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The Concept From Genius Homes

Our Progress

21 September 2022: Progress! Consent issued and the floor and frames are in place and the building is taking shape. Land testing is also underway in preparation for developing the grounds around the facility including the carpark. Delivery of the facility on site is still on track for before the end of the year. Fundraising continues and all contributions are welcome to ensure we can meet all the costs ahead of schedule. Check out the progress photos below

3 October 2022: The construction of the building continues with the roof now in place. Planning for the carparking continues and preparation for a small foundation stone laying ceremony are underway. This project is becoming real.

19 October 2022: What an amazing morning. Together we gathered on the site of the new building to lay a stone and to share stories, prayers and karakia for the mahi that will take place here. In the Ceremony, the Sisters of Mercy spoke about the good work that was started in 1897 and how happy they were to be now passing that on to Catholic Social Services.

21 October 2022: Some more photos of progress on the building. The big meeting rooms are being lined and the office area is starting to take shape. We have also been grateful for some new donations which are moving us ever closer towards the fundraising target.

10 November 2022: Work on the building continues and windows are in. There are some delays on getting a start on the foundations but we are hoping for movement on this soon. Planning for the driveway and groundworks are also underway.

18 November 2022: Some new photos. internal linings and external cladding

25 November 2022: Gib stopping in the office area, painting and dado linings in the big meeting areas. preparation for exterior painting underway. There have been some delays in starting the foundations but all going well there will be activity on the grounds before Christmas. Keep an eye out for some video of the progress here!

Fundraising continues with some generous contributions being made. We give a big shout out to everyone that has helped out, Every bit makes a difference and gets us closer to ensuring that with this new facility we can make a bigger difference for tamariki, rangitahi and their whanau.

16 December 2022: The buildings are nearly completed as you can see below. They are looking fabulous and we are so looking forward to getting into them and helping more people in this community.

We have also had an update that means groundworks will start mid January and delivery in early Feb. All going well we will be on track for an opening in March.

11 January 2023: Some further progress on the buildings can been in the following pictures as they get them ready for transporting. Also, today the platform was scraped and pegs put in to identify the corners of the building already for foundations to be begun next monday.

A video time lapse is being set up to capture the land development which will be available after the whole project is completed

03 March 2023: We travelled to Timaru to meet the team at Genius and see the new facility. What and impressive building with quality fittings and beautiful workmanship. All that needs to happen now is for the foundations to be completed so that delivery can be set.

The photos show what we saw in Timaru, as well as a shot of the work starting on site. All going well it may be completed in 4 weeks.

If you have not yet made a contribution to this project, we are still keen to receive your donation. Thank you again for your support

22 May 2023: After some delay that required a new resource consent, we are anticipating that the project will soon restart and some action will be seen on site. Hopefully next weeks up date will have some new pictures of progress on the foundations as long as the weather holds up!

06 July 2023: After some delays caused by discovering that the ground was contaminated and some new planning was required to go forward, we have seen the project restart. This has included excavating the foundation pits, pouring some site concrete to address some of the land issues and, as of today, placing the steel reinforcing in preparation for the concrete foundations to be poured next week. All going well, buildings will arrive in the last week of July which is only 4 weeks away. After delivery their will be a month getting the stairs and ramps built followed by the roading and carpark which will take a further month or so – as long as the weather holds out.

Of course the delays and ground challenges have created extra expense and so contributions to this project are still needed and we would value any donation to ensure delivery of services in the new building will not be constrained. Thank you

28 July 2023: Work continues and a solid foundation is now in place with just securing the steel upstands to be done before delivery of the pods. All going well we will see these arrive in the second week of August.

Keep returning to this site to see the progress as from here on in we should see changes happening daily.

10 August 2023: The first pod has arrived!

17 August 2023: So much has happened in one week! The first pod (the office and small meeting rooms) is secured on the foundations. The reception / joiner pod is in place and we await delivery of the last pod (meeting rooms) Friday morning. Another month and the drainage, electrical, and access ways should be completed and we will be ready for the carparking and roading guys to come in. It is starting to get real!

21 August 2023: Early Friday morning the third pod arrived and it is now starting to look like the picture we planned. well done to the team from Genius this space looks amazing.

5 September 2023: The Builder has been busy completing the connecting of the three sections while the painters have been inside completing the painted services. Today the blinds were measured up and internal fixings are being completed. Outside the plumbing and drainage is making progress and the carpark and roadway has been marked out by the contractors,

16 October 2023: External work continues on the carpark and building access ramps and stairs

9 November 2023: Inside is completed and the steps and ramps are getting closer. the kerb and channel is in place and its looking amazing!

The entrance way panels which will bring a touch of something special have been mostly installed, albeit the lower ones are covered to prevent cement splashes. Planning for the opening is under way for Friday 15th of December at Dawn. It may not all be completed by then – but it will be close!