Spotlight on Te Miringa Trust: Compassionate support for women experiencing homelessness
At the Coalition to End Women’s Homelessness, we believe in the power of local action. Across Aotearoa, many community-led initiatives are doing vital, often under-recognised work to support women in crisis, respond to urgent needs, and foster long-term change.
One such initiative is Te Miringa Trust, a small but deeply rooted organisation born out of reflection, compassion, and a clear call to respond to women’s homelessness in Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland.
Recently, we spoke to Kirsten Sloan from the Trust and we're sharing the Trust’s story because it reminds us of what becomes possible when care is offered with trust, dignity, and consistency.
The work of Te Miringa Trust embodies many of the principles we advocate for at the Coalition: whanaungatanga, community leadership, trauma-informed responses, and support with aroha.
Corazón fund, with compassion at the centre
The Trust’s newest initiative is the Corazón Fund, which Kirsten explained exists to meet women’s needs which often go unmet - things that may seem small but can change everything: a dental appointment to ease chronic pain, a laptop to study, or a specialist visit after years of waiting.
“Corazón means ‘heart felt’ in Spanish, and that's exactly what we aim to offer: support shaped around each woman’s real needs, not what we think they should need,” Kirsten said.
The fund is open now, and can be accessed through referrals from social workers and kaimahi who walk alongside women in Auckland. The fund offers help without judgment or red tape. At its core is trust: in women’s wisdom, their dignity and in their right to choose what support they need most.
“Many women haven’t had timely access to health care or don’t trust the system. Sometimes, a single intervention like seeing a dentist or getting a diagnosis, can help someone stabilise and move forward,” Kirsten said.
The Corazón Fund offers small grants supporting women’s health and personal growth. Other organisations can inquire about referrals or applications. Contact: temiringatrust01@gmail.com
Wāhine Dinners
Since 2018, Te Miringa Trust has been hosting Wāhine Dinners at Auckland City Mission – Te Tāpui Atawhai. They provide a warm, welcoming space where women can come not just to eat, but to connect.
Kirsten said the Wāhine Dinners started with just a few women and has grown into a gathering that regularly draws up to forty five women, each bringing her own story.
“It isn’t just about food. It’s about conversation, storytelling, and whanaungatanga - real relationship-building,” Kirsten said.
The volunteers, many of whom have been with the Trust from the beginning, don’t just serve the meals, they sit and eat together with the women. That small gesture often carries enormous meaning.
“When we first began sitting to eat with the women, they were shocked. They said, ‘You’re going to eat with us?’ That mattered. Maybe no one had done that for them before,” she said.
Read this article in The Press about the Wāhine Dinners
Wāhine Dinners are open outreach events supporting women in central Auckland. Volunteers are warmly welcomed (female only, please). Contact: temiringatrust01@gmail.com
Listening first: The Mana Wāhine Report
Before these dinners and before the Corazón Fund, Te Miringa Trust began with one very powerful tool: listening. In 2018, with the support of Auckland City Mission – Te Tāpui Atawhai and the Sisters of Mercy, the Trust created the Mana Wāhine Report which is a collection of stories and insights from women living rough in Auckland’s city centre.
Many of the women who spoke were from the Rainbow community and all had experienced exclusion, hardship, and resilience. Their words shaped the Trust’s work moving forward:
“Usually when you close your eyes you’re not sure if a drunk person is going to kick you or not.”
“I take my cardboard to a bush and don’t tell anyone where I stay.”
“I get my inner strength from my sisters and aunties.”
“I sleep at the Mission. It’s safe because of the lights and other people there.”
At Te Miringa Trust, women are walking alongside women, meeting needs as they arise, and holding space for healing, hope, and human dignity.
