In a home, into a job

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The power of believing in a person’s potential

The partnership between Workwise, The People’s Project and LinkPeople continues to bring hope and purpose for people, along with the many benefits that come from moving into a stable home and finding a job.

Combining housing and employment support sees people gain the dignity of enjoying both a home and being part of the employed community – often bringing intergenerational change.

“We know that the more strongly we work together, the more we can achieve for the people we support,” says Tyron Pini, Workwise Chief Executive.

Workwise’s collaboration with housing services has been an important part of our journey since 2017. Our formal integration with The People’s Project (Hamilton and Tauranga) started in 2021, followed by LinkPeople in South Auckland in 2023.

When Workwise first started working alongside Housing First services, we leveraged off the trust that people had in The People’s Project. We supported people in a familiar space where they felt comfortable. We worked together to remove barriers for people so that the chance of success was higher, and we believed in their potential.

This past year, people secured a wide range of jobs, many impressively entering full-time work. Within a tight labour market, training, licences and other vocational outcomes helped to remove barriers on a person’s employment journey.

I’m so fortunate to have this job, I’m so lucky. I couldn’t have asked for a better place to work, especially after not having a job for so many years. It’s hard work, but it’s such a good team and my employer is the coolest boss.

Having a job has fully changed me as a person. It’s quite emotional, it doesn’t quite feel real but it’s a cool feeling. I’ll do whatever I can to keep it this way – I don’t want to go backwards. – Saskia (not her real name)

“It’s transformational seeing people flourish in their new home with their job, and the sense of self-esteem,” says Kerry Hawkes, General Manager for The People’s Project.

LinkPeople Chief Executive Fiona Hamilton says “Our integration shows the power of having a Housing First worker primarily focused on supporting someone into a home, alongside the expertise that an employment consultant can bring. Gaining work is therapeutic, it provides a person with hope and purpose.”

With the investment of the Wise Group, five Workwise employment consultants were integrated with The People’s Project in Hamilton and Tauranga, and with LinkPeople’s Housing First and Rapid Rehousing teams in South Auckland.

Highlights for 2024-2025

• Gaining and sustaining employment is a journey – education, upskilling, getting an ID and setting up a bank account are all small wins that add up. We supported 166 people to secure more than 70 work, study or other placements within a tough labour market.
• Our teams see the person’s potential, including their potential to gain employment. 44% of jobs were for people taking on full-time work (more than 30 hours per week).
• The right job or training can be a big part of the solution for the next generation to create the future they want. 26% of the people we supported were young people (under 30 years of age).

To find out more, download our housing and employment support results for 2025. Read about Saskia’s story of impact here.