Information
True stories from the Te Puke area about housing stress. Names changed, naturally. Stories quoted from a December 2019 report prepared by the Te Puke Co-Lab Housing Working Group.
“My daughter took me in… She is under so much pressure to keep her rental because her whole family relies on her to have a home.” Amanda, 51, student
At the moment I’m living with my daughter here in Te Puke. There are seven adults and 4 children in a three-bedroom house.
I made some poor decisions a while back. I didn’t declare that my ex-husband had returned to live with us; he wasn’t providing for us so I decided it wasn’t relevant. About six years ago, Housing New Zealand found out and I lost my house. As a result of court action taken by the Government, I have a bill of $54,000 which I will pay back at $30/week for the rest of my life. I got community service, and one year in a bracelet – he didn’t get anything.
My daughter took me in. She and her partner have also taken in three of her brothers and their partners and children, and her father lives up the drive in his car. We all contribute to the rent of $350/week.
My daughter is 29 and studying social work and psychology. She is under so much pressure to keep her rental, because her whole family relies on her to have a home. For me as a mother, to put my child in that situation feels really stink.
As a teenager I lived on the streets in Tauranga for a long time. I ran away from home at 12 and slept with anyone to get a roof over my head. There was drugs, alcohol. I am 51 and I have been on benefits my whole life, apart from five great years at AFFCO which ended when I got carpal tunnel syndrome. I am now entering my last year of a social work degree. My life will change when I graduate and get a job. For a start, I won’t be living in poverty. Having that financial security will be good. I’d move out tomorrow if I could, knowing the pressure on [her daughter].
I don’t have my own place to be a mother or a Nan.