New home brings ‘new beginnings’
A family of five will be spending winter in a warm, dry, healthy home thanks to their partnership with housing charity Habitat for Humanity.
The home, being built on the Tasman Prospect along New Plymouth’s Coastal Walkway, is nearing completion and will be open to the public to look through at an open day on January 6.
Felicity Cadman and her four children who range in age from
3-years-old to 13 will finally have a place to call their own.
‘‘It’s very exciting, it will mean new beginnings and a fresh start for me and my family,’’ she said.
Cadman said she has been staying at her parents’ home since May
2016 and is sharing rooms with the two younger children, while the two older children share another room.
‘‘I’m very fortunate my parents took us in,’’ she said.
Prior to this the family had been living in a rental property in Waitara that Cadman said just wasn’t suitable.
‘‘There were quite a few health issues for the kids while we were there,’’ she said.
‘‘We couldn’t move as the prices kept going up and it’s really hard to find rentals with kids as well as pets.’’
The family eventually had to move out of the rental but luckily family were there to help.
The days of sharing a bedroom will soon be over as the home nears completion and they can begin their new life.
‘‘My children can finally be settled, we’ve had a lot of disruptions so this will help them and they can form some solid friendships,’’ Cadman said.
Chairman of Habitat for Humanity Taranaki Malcolm Pearce said the organisation hoped to give people a hand up and give shelter to those in need. The charity has built around 35 homes for Taranaki people and about 580 houses across New Zealand.
‘‘We give the family a whole better way of life and a sense of permanency,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s very much one house at a time and one family at a time.
‘‘It’s pure satisfaction that you can make a real difference in people’s lives.’’
Each family who is given a home has to complete 500 hours of ‘sweat equity’, which requires them to come and help with the build.
The house will eventually be moved by truck to Waitara on January 12.