Abuse victim fights eviction from state house

A Northland woman, who was abused in state care, brutally attacked and raped, fears she will lose the sanctuary of her state home because she is not using all four bedrooms.

Tracey, whose real name cannot be given for legal reasons, desperately wants to stay in her home in the Whanga¯ rei suburb of Kamo with her youngest daughter.

She has lived in the house for 15 years but is now fighting a 90-day eviction notice from Ka¯inga Ora – Homes and Communities, formerly Housing New Zealand.

The organisation said it had worked with Tracey since 2018 because her four-bedroom house was ‘‘under-utilised’’ and it was trying to find another suitable home for her.

But the home offered is 158km away on Auckland’s North Shore, and Tracey said moving from her secure refuge of 15 years would cause her severe mental distress, as well as affect her daughter’s education.

She hoped for some compassion because of her condition.

Tracey has severe posttraumatic stress disorder after being the victim of several sexual assaults, including being raped in state care, being attacked as a young woman, and being gangraped.

The sickness beneficiary recently relived her state care ordeal when she spoke to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.

‘‘People think New Zealand is caring but there’s no mercy whatsoever,’’ she said. ‘‘I was reliving the trauma of my childhood and got an eviction notice.’’

Her family doctor wrote to Ka¯ inga Ora in October to explain her fragile mental state and outlined how the eviction notice had created anxiety.

The doctor suggested Tracey be allowed to stay in the house for two years until her daughter finished her education at nearby Kamo High School.

The school and close friends also wrote to Ka¯ inga Ora, urging it to reconsider the eviction notice.

In desperation, Tracey went to the Tenancy Tribunal, complaining about the 90-day notice and the lack of maintenance on the house.

Her application was dismissed but she appealed the decision, buying herself a little more time until the adjudicator’s final decision is released.

Tracey said while the house had four bedrooms, she was told by a firefighter friend not to use the downstairs bedroom as it was unsafe and accessible only from a garage door.

The house was so small, her grandchildren had to sleep on mattresses on the lounge floor when they stayed over, she said.

Ka¯ inga Ora said Tracey could buy the house, valued at $494,000, but she cannot afford it.

A Ka¯inga Ora spokesperson said staff had been working with Tracey because her current property was under-utilised.

She had agreed to transfer to a property on Auckland’s North Shore.

‘‘Our tenancy liaison teams work with hundreds of tenants when they need to move to another home as part of our redevelopment programme to build more homes for tenants and their wha¯ nau.

‘‘We refute any suggestion she has been unfairly treated and we will continue to support her to find the most appropriate housing that meets her needs.’’