There’s something special about Tracey Benson, the Community Services Manager at Whatever It Takes Trust. As she reflects on a decade with the Napier-based NGO, her commitment to giving people a second chance stands out as the driving force behind her work. Her leadership, grounded in lived experience and deep compassion, has helped her walk alongside whānau facing some of the toughest mental health and addiction challenges.
Tracey says her skill set is getting the best out of the 25 staff she now manages. She looks for special skills that often include lived experience, finding a person’s superpower alongside experience and qualifications.
This is what sets Whatever It Takes Trust apart from many other organisations, which support people suffering severe mental health and addiction challenges. Many of the staff have walked the walk. ‘It makes us real,” she explains. “Many of the staff we employ have life stories and lived experience. This isn’t a barrier to us being interested in employing them if they are the right fit.”
Tracey herself has experienced drug addiction and spent time in prison, but that didn’t hold her back.
She started at Whatever It Takes on a student placement while completing her Diploma in Mental Health and Addiction level four papers.
So impressed was the organisation with her that after she had completed her diploma and had worked in a casual on-call role as part of the organisation’s residential service, they asked her to be the team leader at Matariki Residential. From there, she has never looked back, despite taking a year off from study to care for her grandchildren. Continuing her passion to improve her work skills, she completed a two-year course as an Applied Alcohol and Addictions Counsellor. She was soon appointed Interim Residential Manager, a role she was later formally offered. When the Residential Manager position was merged with the Peer Support Manager role, Tracey took that on as well. A year later, the Community Services Manager role came up, and she was offered it.
“I don’t think of myself as a manager – I’m good with people, and I like encouraging people to strive to be their best.”
Tracey says her work at Whatever It Takes is her legacy. She would like to see Whatever It Takes grow to support even more people.
There is no let-up in demand for Whatever It Takes services; however, the organisation must be strict about making sure the criteria is met so it can provide the support to the most challenged whānau, she says
“Some people need a hand-up, and some need more complex and ongoing support and services. The stronger our services are, the whole community benefits, and that’s why I’m so passionate about my work and our incredible staff who make it possible.”
