‘It’s still pretty hard for us’

Carissima Davies hit a low point about two years ago.

The 51-year-old sickness beneficiary was living in a van and sharing a single mattress in the boot with her grandson, who was 2 at the time.

She took over caring for him when he was 6 months old because her daughter was in a difficult relationship, Child Youth and Family were involved, and she wanted the boy to stay in the family.

But her and the child’s benefit did not cover the $498 in rent she was paying for her Kelston home.

She applied to Housing NZ for a state house, and was initially asked to see if she could find a cheaper rental property. That was a difficult task, as she didn’t have a car.

“I was looking around for another home but we just couldn’t afford it in Auckland. What they wanted me to pay for my rent, I wasn’t even getting that much on a benefit. I was in debt every week.

“I had to go without a lot of stuff. I wasn’t able to get clothes for [my grandson]. I went without food for a long time. But you have to make sacrifices.” In the end, she ended up as a rough sleeper, living in the van for several weeks.

Her homeless status and her grandson elevated her up the HNZ waiting list, and a house was found for her in a new development in Weymouth. In some respects, she is one of the lucky ones. The wait time was about two weeks — much shorter than the average waiting time of around 100 days.

The home is owned by a community housing organisation, and HNZ pays for 75 per cent of her rent.

Davies’ life is immeasurably better with a roof over her head, she says. “I’m way more comfortable now.” But incomerelated rent subsidies are not a complete solution for people like her.

She is still financially unstable. Her welfare has been reduced because of her housing support, though she gets a top-up for her grandson.

“I still have to pay power, water, doctor’s bills.

“It’s still pretty hard for us.”