'Foul' water and a whistling draught: Life inside New Zealand's emergency housing

Wednesday, 10 October 2018

Emergency housing recipients are trying to keep their heads up as they wait for permanent homes.

A woman waiting for a kidney transplant says the motel she's been placed in is making her sick.

Summa Stone occupies one of 18 units at the Sunset Lodge Motel in West Auckland, all of which are currently being used for emergency housing by the Ministry of Social Development.

Her new home was cold, damp, endlessly draughty and connected to a 'foul' drinking water supply, she said.

At night, she could hear the wind whistling past her door.

Summa Stone, who is awaiting a kidney transplant, has been in emergency housing for four months.

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'We're meant to be finding adequate living places for ourselves [but] it seems really hopeless with no help,' Stone said.

'I've been without a permanent place to live for four months or so. Prior to that I was couch surfing.'

Stone, who has had kidney issues for more than two years, is currently on dialysis – medical treatment she receives at Waitakere Hospital three days a week.

She's waiting for a transplant and hopes she can find a house that's more suitable long-term.

Up until three months ago, Ivan Geoffrey-Pole was sleeping under a bridge with his son.

But as a single woman on the invalid's benefit, it was tough finding somewhere she could afford, and the temperamental wifi at the motel wasn't helping with the search, she said.

'I watch TV, park myself up in bed, and try and get well. It's okay, I'm a survivor.

'I've come through a rough level of experience in life but I've learnt to cope.

Ivan Geoffrey-Pole takes a seat on the end of the bed he shares with his teenage son.

'I'm glad for this roof over my head and I just try to hold my head up as high as possible.'

Across the courtyard, Ivan Geoffrey-Pole shared a bed with 19-year-old son Shaun.

Both were living under a bridge until three months ago, a situation that had affected Ivan's wellbeing.

Anastasia Telea Tamasese lives at the motel with her five children.

'My health was really bad under there . . . I'd walk down the road and back and be stuffed.

'It's hard to look for a house when I'm like this, you know.'

Geoffrey-Pole said being in emergency housing was 'good', but taking the next step into permanent accommodation was proving difficult.

The unit's phone didn't work, which made calling real-estate agents a difficult task.

All of the motel's units are currently being used for emergency housing.

When he could get in contact with them, they charged for enquiries, Geoffrey-Pole said.

Last week, he spent $35 on buses to look at houses. The 49-year-old only gets $240 a week from his sickness benefit.

Upstairs, a mother of five is crammed into a two-bedroom apartment with beds pushed together in the lounge to maximise space.

Anastasia Telea Tamasese has lived at the motel for 11 months.

'It's not safe,' the machine operator said.

Tamasese has been at the motel for 11 months.

'While I do appreciate what [has been done] in helping us, I don't like living around here. Other people are arguing . . . [there's bad] language.

'When I'm going to work, they're knocking on the door asking for a smoke or pot.'

Tamasese moved into the motel in November 2017 but would not be able to transition into a Housing New Zealand home until her residency was approved.

She had been living in New Zealand for 10 years but only held a working visa. It expires in March.

She said it was impossible to afford a private rental on her salary alone, so she continued to play the waiting game while also hoping for good news on her residency application.

But despite the difficulties she had faced, Tamasese remained optimistic and said she was 'thankful and satisfied'.

'I have my kids and we have food on my table … We have survived.'

A spokesman for the motel said no residents had raised issues with him about coldness, dampness or a draught.

Because of the number of devices connected to the internet at any one time, the broadband was strained, but the motel was working to improve the connection.

The motel was not designed for long-term stays so there were issues for those who needed a more permanent resident, he said.

In Auckland alone, more than 2800 people are estimated to be in temporary or emergency accommodation.

Of those, almost 1300 were children.

According to the Ministry of Social Development's website, emergency housing could include hostels and motels 'for a few days' until longer-term options become available.