Re-Imagining Haven

Since 2019, Haven has lived up to its name by offering a space to provide support for people affected by mental distress, AOD challenges, and homelessness on Auckland CBD’s Karangahape Rd.

The impact has been significant – since opening, we’ve had over 100,000 visits! Haven has made a real difference in the lives of some of our most vulnerable people experiencing unimaginable hardship.   

In recent months we’ve been reviewing our delivery of Haven to ensure the service is working the best it can for the people using them.

Reviewing service delivery has also become necessary due to recent challenges around our use of the Merge Café site from neighbouring businesses.

Through this review process, Lifewise have decided to step away from the partnership and as such we will cease operating Haven from the Merge Café site. We anticipate the last weekend of Haven in this location will be 26-28 September 2025.

We’re really proud of our collaboration with Lifewise. We are grateful for all the mahi and resource Lifewise have contributed, and they will always be part of the legacy of Haven.

Odyssey is committed to deliver a service similar in nature to Haven, with Emerge Aotearoa remaining in partnership.

While it’s no longer possible to operate from Merge Café, this change also creates opportunities. We look forward to finding a new location that suits the needs of the people we serve. It also means we can make enhancements to what we are offering.

We recognise the rising levels of homelessness and hardship in central Auckland. In response, we are committed to working alongside sector partners to identify and implement the most effective ways to support and serve the needs of this vulnerable community.

With six years of experience delivering Haven, our team has plenty of expertise and knowledge to draw from.

We’ll continue to navigate these changes over the coming months, and keep communicating any updates as more is known.