(L-R Brianne-Rose, Jane, Naomi, and Moana-Jane)
Hamilton woman Jane Caffery said achieving home ownership with Habitat for Humanity has been “phenomenal” – it gave her the opportunity to raise her children without burden and stress of renting.
A very important part of Habitat’s programme is not just a whanau’s progress towards owning a home but also the impact of it on different aspects of their lives.
“For us as a family… the transformation has been phenomenal and that could have only been possible through the goodness of Habitat for Humanity,” Jane said.
Jane (42) and her daughters, Brianne-Rose (22), Naomi (21) and Moana-Jane (15) are now co-owners of their Hamilton home. They embarked on this journey in 2011, previously living in a small, damp and cold house.
After getting to know about the Progressive Home Ownership programme through other Habitat whanau, Jane was determined to find a decent, suitable, and stable home for her family.
At the time, they were living in Huntly but needed to be closer to the hospital for Moana-Jane’s frequent visits. Jane was also going through a tough time with a relationship separation.
“I knew… I wanted my three daughters to have stability in this changing world, when it’s so hard to own your own home.”
Jane said the 10-year Progressive Home Ownership process is “fair, diligent and caring,” and helps to prepare whanau for independent home ownership. She said the permanency of her home gave her the opportunity to raise her children without rental “burden and stresses.”
During her homeownership journey, Jane transitioned from her undergraduate degree to working full time at Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) and is currently pursuing a doctorate as well. Brianne-Rose and Naomi are both pursuing a masters’ in accounting while Moana-Jane is in high school.
Habitat’s Progressive Home Ownership Programme sees future homeowners invest 500 hours of their time to build their own home or those of others as ‘sweat equity’, before entering a five-year rental phase. They make affordable rent payments based on their family income, which go towards an eventual deposit.
