Home repairs 'a saving grace' for Auckland whānau

Simone, her mother Taiaiu, and their extended whānau of eight had been living with ongoing water leaks and other interior issues in their Clover Park home for years. The family had tried to make repairs themselves over the years with little success, resulting in added stress weighing heavily on the family. They finally decided to approach Habitat for help after seeing a brochure in their local ReStore charity shop.

Simone said, “I applied for home repairs on behalf of my mum. She cried when we got the approval letter. Habitat was a ray of sunshine; it meant someone had our back in this. It was a saving grace.”

“We had ongoing issues with this home. A broken tap meant that water had leaked and rotted the kitchen floor, and the shower frame was rotting. We didn’t have locks on the door, so the house wasn’t secure."

Following a full assessment of the home, repairs were undertaken, including a whole new bathroom with a extractor fan, vanity, and shower box, replacing the floor in the bathroom and hallway and installing vinyl flooring and electrical work completed throughout the house. “These repairs have lifted a whole lot of things we were worried about. Not only is this a home for ten people but we have nieces and nephews visiting all the time. Our house is a thoroughfare for the community. We loved having the Habitat builders here.”

Simone’s family is just one of the many homeowners who have had their homes undergo critical repairs this year. Families are able to repay the interest free loan in affordable instalments, thanks to Habitat’s Community Finance Partnership with BNZ.