Young family still waiting for home
A Marlborough family living in a shed has been forced to turn down temporary accommodation so they can keep their place on the state housing list.
Blenheim woman Arihiana Edmonds, her partner Solo Hafoka and their three children moved into a friend’s shed after their landlord sold their rental and they struggled to find somewhere else.
They were offered extra help to find a rental at a second appointment with Work and Income, after media inquiries about their situation.
A Marlborough wine company, who did not want to be named, offered the family four months’ accommodation in a small cottage on their property which was unoccupied during the off-season, but Edmonds and Hafoka turned it down fearing they would lose their place on the waiting list for state housing.
Edmonds called Housing New Zealand to check if they would be taken off the waiting list, but a case manager was unable to confirm how they would be affected, she said.
‘‘If we took the place and got taken off the list, we could still be six months or a year away from finding the next place. And then in four months, we’d be back on the list but pushed right down again.’’
‘‘So because of my uncertainty with Housing New Zealand, both of us decided we would have to turn it down. We didn’t want to maim ourselves in the long run.’’
Edmonds and her family were on the priority A housing list. There were 411 Housing New Zealand homes in Marlborough.
Nationally, the number of people on the housing register increased by a third in the year to September.
Ministry of Social Development social housing associate deputy chief executive Kay Read said it was possible their place on the wait list would be affected by accepting the cottage, but a full assessment of their situation was needed before Housing New Zealand would know for sure.
‘‘If people are removed from the social housing register it is because they no longer need social housing, however, if this changes they are welcome to apply again,’’ she said.
‘‘The social housing register is dynamic. People’s priority ratings change all the time as and when their circumstances change. This means we are able to match social housing properties to the people who most need them.’’
Edmonds and Hafoka were grateful for the wine company’s offer, even though they could not accept it, Edmonds said.
‘‘It’s so hard to fathom that kind of kindness still exists. We can’t believe that story touched someone so much that they put their hand up and wanted to help. We’re just so grateful for the offer.’’
Earlier news of their situation also prompted a review of their eligibility for financial help from Work and Income, Edmonds said.
They were still ineligible for emergency housing as they had nearly $5000 in savings, but Work and Income offered to help them write a cover letter for rental applications to assure potential landlords the couple would have financial support.
That support could include money for a bond, rent in advance and an accommodation supplement to help them pay the rent. Edmonds said she was not told about any of this at her first appointment with Work and Income.
‘‘When they told me about all this I was like, ‘I didn’t even know about that’.
‘‘It’s horrible to think there are so many things that are available but noone thinks to say anything.’’
The family was still living in the shed, but viewing more rentals with the knowledge Work and Income could help them afford a property previously out of their price range.