Disabled bitter at welfare letdowns Van life misery as safety net fails
Constant pain for mum in wheelchair as family crowd into hot, mozzieplagued van. By Amanda Saxton.
Aucklander Tracey Penney has slept ‘‘tetris-style’’ with her partner and young daughter in a van since early December.
The 28-year-old’s legs dangle limply, bedsores have infected a hip joint, and her back is held together with broken metal that grinds her bones in the night.
Penney has been a tetraplegic since she was hit by a car as a toddler.
Every morning she wakes up, assesses her pain, and counts her blessings, which do not include the Ministry of Social Development’s response to her situation.
On the waiting list for a wheelchair-friendly state house for over a year, Penney lived with her mother until the pair fell out in October 2016. She applied for emergency accommodation through Work and Income, who put her, her partner, and child up in a motel.
They cut that funding after three weeks because Penney hadn’t been searching for a private rental.
‘‘They told me that since I couldn’t prove I’d been looking, I’d have to move to a backpackers hostel,’’ she said.
Appalled by the idea, the family packed up their belongings and moved into a van instead.
To date Work and Income has not checked in with Penney again – a fact her local Labour MP, Carmel Sepuloni, found ‘‘disappointing’’.
‘‘They should have followed up to see if she was ok,’’ Sepuloni said.
‘‘You don’t take emergency housing if you’ve got somewhere to go – so Tracey’s next step was going to be homelessness.
‘‘If the welfare system isn’t here to support a 4-year-old girl whose mother has serious physical disabilities, then who is it there for?’’
The family parked up their van in Avondale where the Kelston MP has been helping them tackle paperwork. If the welfare system isn’t here to support a 4-year-old girl whose mother has serious physical disabilities, then who is it there for?
While Housing New Zealand told her there weren’t any state homes available for wheelchair users, an able-bodied family was offered a fully modified house in Penney’s area on Wednesday, said Sepuloni.
‘‘How appropriate was it for that family to be offered a house perfect for someone with major physical disabilities when there is someone who actually has major physical disabilities desperately needing a house?’’ she asked.
The ministry said Penney’s was being addressed.
Deputy chief executive of social housing Kay Read said housing options were limited due to high demand in areas such as South Auckland and Penney’s need for a modified property.
‘‘Penney is on the social housing register with a high priority rating, and we note she has indicated that she would be willing to consider other areas around Auckland if it means securing a place faster.
‘‘We are actively working with case Housing New Zealand to identify a suitable long-term housing solution for Penney and her family.’’
Penney said finding a suitable private rental was ‘‘so unrealistic’’ on the allowance ACC paid both her and her partner, Apera Wilson, who acts as her fulltime caregiver, fulfilling responsibilities ranging from the manual evacuation of her bowels to hefting her out of her wheelchair and into the van.
The van – funded by ACC – has a single foam mattress in the back with fluffy polyester blankets stuffed into gaps around its sides.
‘‘We three live in here Tetris-style and it’s cramped to say the least,’’ Penney said.
On hot days it’s like an oven; Penney’s condition is sensitive to heat and she was in hospital last month being treated for blood in her urine.
Her bladder empties via a tube through her bellybutton, draining into soft-drink bottles.
Her 4-year-old daughter’s legs were dotted with scabs from incessantly scratching mosquito bites. The insects invade whenever the van’s windows were open.
Penney said she would like Wikitoria to go to kindergarten with other kids but her precarious housing situation made that difficult.
‘‘I don’t want to have to pull her out of kindy after a few weeks if we get a house somewhere else all of a sudden.
‘‘But what bothers me the most about living like this is how many others have had to wait for housing, and end up losing their battle.
‘‘To me, that’s a question mark for a horror story.’’