Leaking pipe forces tenant out
Homeless man Timani Tupou lived for three weeks in a small, cold room with wet carpet and no heater.
The 65-year-old, who’s originally from Tonga, is waiting for a state house to become available in South Auckland.
Work and Income temporarily placed him in a room at an Onehunga educational institute last month.
But three weeks later he packed up his belongings and moved out because it was too cold.
A small patch of carpet about a metre from his bed was soaked, thanks to a leaking pipe.
His daughter Loni Tupou, who lives in Mangere, says her father needs to be near family and his doctor in Otara as he suffers from a medical condition that makes it difficult to breathe.
‘‘He wants to live in Otahuhu, Mangere or Papatoeote,’’ she says. ‘‘Before he moved into the room he lived in a workshop at his church in Papatoetoe.
‘‘He was told the leak would be fixed before he moved in.
‘‘It was cold and had no curtains when he moved in [to the room] and there was no heater or lock on the door.’’
Tupou is storing his possessions in Loni’s garage until he’s able to find somewhere more suitable to live.
Loni says her father needs a warm, single-level house as his medical condition makes it tough for him to tackle stairs.
Work and Income is now paying for Tupou to stay at a Mangere motor lodge until July 29.
Ministry of Social Development deputy chief executive for social housing Carl Crafar says Tupou is on the social housing register with an A priority rating, which is the highest.
Work and Income assisted with in-advance bond and rent costs of $1400, which has to be repaid, for Tupou to stay in Onehunga, Crafar says.
‘‘We first became aware of issues with the room on July 20 when Mr Tupou’s agent advised us of problems including a leak. We contacted the landlord, who was not aware of any problems.’’
Crafar says Work and Income assisted Tupou with a $690 nonrecoverable grant for him to stay at the Mangere motor lodge on the same day he left the room.
‘‘This emergency housing grant … allows us to pay for emergency accommodation for up to seven days at a time.
‘‘This assistance does not need to be paid back and can be extended if required.’’