Wheelchair user forced to wash at Local pool
Finding an accessible home is like finding a needle in a haystack, says Piotr Mierzejewski. By Olivia Shevas.
Piotr Mierzejewski is living in a sleepout without hot water or an accessible bathroom, while he waits on the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) to find him a home.
In the meantime he’s resorted to sponge baths or showering at a swimming pool.
He’s been waiting five months for MSD to find him a home, ever since he and his wife were evicted from their Dunedin home, but the couple has been searching for an accessible home for more than three years.
While he doesn’t like to complain, Mierzejewski, who uses a wheelchair, describes their search as like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The couple’s latest ordeal began in May, 2020.
Their previous rental home had a ramp to the entrance and an accessible bathroom but the house was damaged when a car crashed into it. Despite that, the home remained liveable.
In March this year the couple was given a 90-day notice to leave so the property could be repaired and stabilised. Mierzejewski immediately approached MSD for support finding an accessible
Ka¯ inga Ora home.
He said he was told MSD couldn’t help him until it was less than seven days until the end of his tenancy. Conversations with MSD and Ka¯ inga Ora left him feeling like no-one wanted to engage with him unless he was in the middle of a crisis, and he was left to his own devices.
In June, the couple moved into a sleepout they secured through Mierzejewski’s wife’s colleague, but it doesn’t have appropriate bathroom accessibility or hot running water. The living situation is temporary, but they’re not sure for how long.
Steph Voight, MSD southern regional commissioner, said MSD was working with Mierzejewski to help him find suitable longterm accommodation that would meet his accessibility needs. It assessed him for public housing and placed him on the waitlist on March 9.
‘‘We know it can be very stressful for people who are struggling to find a suitable home to meet their needs,’’ she said.
‘‘We sympathise with Piotr’s situation.’’
She said housing supply was very tight, especially for accessible housing. Details of its waitlist for accessible housing was not available without an Official Information Act request.
Voight said MSD had connected him with its housing navigator service to link him with landlords and housing providers to find suitable long-term accommodation.
She said MSD would assist Mierzejewski with emergency housing if he was unable to secure a house to meet his needs.
‘‘When someone tells us their tenancy is ending we work with them to find alternative housing,’’ Voight said. ‘‘Emergency housing isn’t our first option – it is a last resort. We’ll look at all the other
options they might have.’’
Minister of Housing, Megan Woods, said the Government was committed to ensuring that at least 15% of Ka¯ inga Ora new build public homes would include
universal design features.
‘‘We’re continuing to make good progress on our commitments and will continue working towards Labour’s target of 25% of new builds with accessibility features to ensure that our public housing portfolio meets the needs of disabled people in New Zealand,’’ Woods said.
She also said Ka¯ inga Ora carried out modifications of its properties, working with tenants and their families to understand
‘Emergency housing isn’t our first option – it is a last resort. We’ll look at all the other options they might have.’ STEPH VOIGHT, MSD southern regional commissioner
their needs. More than 5600 homes had undergone such work.
Mierzejewski is a qualified social worker who is studying web design and also looking for work. His wife, Mariaeliza Ingeniero, is a full time caregiver at a retirement home.
However, Mierzejewski is not qualified for any disability benefit or welfare support because his wife earns too much, and his benefit depends on their combined income.
‘‘We shouldn’t be punished and our partners shouldn’t be punished for falling in love.’’
Their marriage had also disqualified him from renewing his Community Services Card, which previously helped him access subsidised services.
He was reliant on his card to get a concession price to access the local swimming pool, but now has to limit his visits to use the pool shower.
One of the recommendations from the Welfare Expert Advisory Group’s 2019 report – Whakamana Ta¯ ngata Restoring Dignity to Social Security in New Zealand – was to redefine relationship status in regard to receiving a benefit.
MSD’s Voight said work in relation to this continues to be part of its welfare overhaul work programme.
She said this policy was based on the notion that for a person who is married, or living in the nature of marriage, spouses and de facto partners owe primary obligations of support to each other, and that the state’s support obligations are secondary.
‘‘Unfortunately, there is no discretion to waive income tests for benefits – this includes access to a Community Services Card. A review of the settings that underpin financial assistance and eligibility has started, and this includes the settings around relationship definitions.’’
Until an accessible house becomes available through the public housing system or privately, Mierzejewski will continue sponge baths or showering at the local swimming pool.
After his experiences, he’d like to see is better streamlining in the processes and services to accessing housing.
He said the Government should also increase its quota for accessible housing. ‘‘We need to future-proof the housing market for not only the disabled community but also for the ageing population, that way you give everybody the opportunity to have a fair go.’’