Option for the poor:advocacy for beneficiaries

Lisa Beech (Caritas Advocacy and Research Manager) and Teresa Homan (Hutt Valley Benefit Education Service Trust and Wellington Catholic Justice Peace and Development Commission) will talk about working with beneficiaries, particularly sharing their perspectives of the impacts of the government’s welfare changes on some of New Zealand’s poorest families. Lisa was a domestic purposes beneficiary in the aftermath of the 1991 benefit changes and advocated for beneficiaries in different ways before taking up a role at Catholic social justice agency Caritas. Teresa has worked for the past 10 years as a benefit advocate in Upper Hutt. Lisa and Teresa were part of the organising group of the Alternative Welfare Working Group in 2010. They will share their perspectives of how their faith leads and inspires them to advocate for beneficiaries in Work and Income offices and in Parliamentary processes.