Disabled house hunter running out of options
Time is almost up for Rebekah Smith, and at least $160,000 stands between her and a suitable home.
Smith, who uses a wheelchair, has been given notice at her current rental property and says there are no wheelchair-suitable houses available in Nelson, to either buy or rent. ‘‘I have been looking since the end of July.’’
Smith says her search has highlighted a number of issues that disabled people face when trying to find suitable housing – the first of which is a lack of fitfor-purpose homes.
‘‘Having a ramp access, widened doorways, a wet-floor bathroom so I can go into the shower, and having all the rooms all on the same level is really important.’’
Smith would like to stay in her current rental in Bishopdale, which is well suited to her needs but is now up for sale. It has a rateable value of $465,000, and she would love to buy it.
But just as there aren’t homes built with wheelchairs in mind, the financial system hasn’t been working in Smith’s favour either.
She was eligible for a portion of the Welcome Home first-home buyer package, but only $5000 and access to her Kiwisaver funds, as she hasn’t been working for 12 months.
‘‘It’s great, but there are all these criteria, like you’ve had to be in work for 12 months. Most people in wheelchairs aren’t working.’’
She has just managed to secure part-time employment, working from home as an administrator. She also receives a supported living wage, and that income combined with her soonto-begin part-time wage means she now meets the lending criteria. ‘‘That would be enough for me to get a mortgage through Westpac at $240,000.’’
However, she’s still at least $160,000 short, and hopes someone might be able to help, so she has started a Givealittle page. The deadline sale is on November 20.
Smith has also been looking for rentals and other properties for sale, but so far hasn’t found anything modifiable.
One property for sale in Ta¯ hunanui had been within her budget but was an ‘‘eye-opener’’, she said. ‘‘It was 40 square metres. No sun and no insulation.’’
Smith also does voluntary work from home, managing a database of 130 churches across 18 denominations in the top of the south, as well as a website that lists Christian events in Nelson.
She uses a wheelchair due to multiple sclerosis. She had stem cell treatment in 2015, and while her other symptoms have subsided and she is in remission, she still has neurological damage to her spine.
Because her disability is due to a medical condition and not an accident, any home modifications are not covered by ACC.
Smith is eligible for state housing
‘‘[Welcome Home is] great, but there are all these criteria
. . . Most people in wheelchairs aren’t working.’’ Rebekah Smith
and is on the waiting list, but not all state houses have been built with accessibility in mind, particularly older ones.
She has also sought help from Work & Income, the Beneficiaries and Unwaged Workers Trust, Nelson Tasman Housing Trust, CCS Disability Action, and the Tasman District Council.
She’s also been in touch with Nelson Labour Party Policy Council chair Rachel Boyack, who said she was grateful that Smith had brought her situation into the public sphere.
Boyack said the Government was designing a new policy for rent-to-buy homes, and in the long term she would like it to be suited to people like Smith. ‘‘I will certainly be making the point to the minister [of housing].’’
She agreed with Smith that new state housing builds should be done with accessibility in mind.
Rebekah Smith’s Givealittle page can be found at givealittle.co.nz/ fundraiser/help-becks-to-buy-thehome-she-loves-and-needs