Living within a broken system

 Currently in the second to last week of the working year which I'm so excited about!

Work has been a mixture of busyness & the observation/experience of people's survival mechanisms within a broken system.  I am blessed to being doing a job where I get to show people hope through helping, but it has it's frustrations & "fun bits" to it too.  I often state that the system is broken, but I have lately seen social media posts & have heard others saying if it wasn't designed in the way it was meant to how can we actually say it's broken when it's effectively doing what it's meant to.  

It's obvious in most spaces I find myself working in, and even living within.  I live in South Auckland, always have but as I get older I'm seeing the evidence of systemic failures for our people.  Don't get me wrong, this isn't a rant/post about how we don't get enough credit for the good happening in our community (that's another post for another time).  It's more so how our welfare system has and continues to either put the most vulnerable in either debt or having a poverty mentality.  There's no real in between.  Instead of prevention the focus is always intervention, which I understand to a degree cause that's where the need is.  However this becomes troublesome where families become so reliant on the system they don't want/know how to live without it.  I see this most days, which I understand and extend grace for.  It's sometimes it can be super frustrating being someone that has benefited from the system (my mum was on the DPB until we were all in school and then worked til she passed) by God's grace, hardworking parents, have been able to make the deliberate choice to take a different path.  I say it's a choice and I'd say mostly it is, but understand this being impossible for those that are too sick or lame to work.  

From cradle to death in our country you can get by.  I see it so often within my community and it breaks my heart but also frustrates me in the same breath, as I know & believe we've all got God given potential.  Whether it's life circumstances, trauma, family history or a generational mentality of poverty,  many people don't think they can do better than be on the benefit.  It's really sad cause you know that this is so untrue.  Please don't mistake me for being anti welfare, as I know that it's actually needed for seasons for people.  I realise everyday that it could totally be my story one day, so try not to judge those that use it.  What I don't like about the welfare system is that it's very black and white.  No one in the middle can really access it, ironically it's the one's in the middle that keeps it all going. I've seen people that were on the benefit get into work, but then start working & then quit because it's less than what they were receiving on welfare.  I've also seen a person work pretty much full time from being on welfare, and be cut off and now struggles weekly with food.  It's super stupid the way it's set up.  There's got to be a complete de-construction of the system, and I understand it won't be done in a day & there's always competing interests  (where taxpayer dollars go to).  However I strongly believe that in order to break and prevent a lot of harm in society continuing to happen, it needs to be done.

I hope in my time I get to see this happen, I've seen govt agencies starting processes to undo a lot of harm in the lives of our children (prevention could've happened if insight from Maori in the design of the system was sought but let's not get started on that LOL) so I hope that one day the welfare system gets an overhaul too.  

There's a reason I'm still in this work, as I love seeing people in my community & the most vulnerable realise their potential within a system not designed for them.  I have great days with great outcomes with families and then not so days with stink outcomes and work within the grey.  Realising that despite this, I will continue to be faithful in the time I have here.  

God loves you even in the grey! xox