I Walk Alone
Christchurch
City Council Social Housing :
I WALK ALONE
New Zealand cities are the people. Some of those people who make up the cities, and have contributed to the nation, are a small proportion who requires affordable housing. Many are less fortunate financially through circumstances, some are disabled, and some are special needs. Nevertheless their contribution and efforts should not be overlooked or disregarded. Those who are empowered in city councils should recognize the daily effort and hurdles the less fortunate or special needs people have to cross that most of us take for granted
The housing stock owned by the Christchurch City Council state in their Proposal for Funding Portfolio: Since 1938 and 2007 their housing stocks require refurbishment although in general the units are in reasonable condition.
69 years of collecting rent, rises along the way, one would expect as Landlord the Christchurch
City Council housing stock through maintenance would be in reasonable condition. Not forgetting many of the tenants themselves take pride in their affordable home developing beautiful gardens, adding personal touches caring for their environment.
In a country like
New Zealand it is a sad indictment on our society when the reality is those less fortunate carry the yoke of mismanagement, greed, stupidity, self serving, pompous, arrogant, wasteful disrespectful councils who are in a privileged position as servants to serve the city for the good of all people: as it consistently appears to be the case with the Christchurch
City Council.
Extravagant spending of $17 million dollars on a bail out from failing property developer Dave Henderson with the excuse he may in the future buy the buildings in the inner city back, in his mid sixties and being bailed out why would he! Then a $1 million on an inflatable dome, works of art to supposedly rejuvenate the inner city. Plus an estimated $400,000 to buy the popular World Buskers Festival comment from the Mayor Bob Parker is one of “declines to comment”!!
For the council in response to a High Court decision to refund the 24% rent rise imposed on the tenants who are already on very low incomes to suspend so called all non-essential maintenance.
Now seeking to gradually raise the rent and produced a planned portfolio of intent to refurbish the housing stock. Comment of the housing stock is that it should be self funding. Good property business practice would agree with the principle. Then one would question why are so many of the units old and modern have been ignored in design and good business practice.
Why are the tenants made to feel guilty, that they are a nuisance, or threatened, abused by rudeness that any request that is reasonable is treated with disrespect. Frustrated tenants’ then endeavor to cope with a dysfunctional maintenance program and can wait for weeks for a so called “non essential work” eg no water pressure for a plumber to arrive to fix.
The housing Department ignore Tenancy Tribunal rulings when the Council is bound by law to the Residential Tenancies Act to maintain housing to a reasonable state of repair and abide by the contract of each tenant.
Life of one special needs tenant.. He is Prada Willie, has lived in his flat for nearly ten years and paid his rent. In his contract rent includes a refrigerator and a washing machine. After nearly eight years the refrigerator began to fail and ice-up. He was told to make it work by putting his hand through the ice box and tickle the thermostat. After much arguing and stress the council finally sent him to purchase a new refrigerator. However when the washing machine failed after nine years and flooding intermittently he was told to hand bail out the water with a jug. Then told it was not flooding at all. After some months proving the machine did in fact flood he was offered a replacement second hand washing machine that was in a state of disrepair. A tribunal meeting and six months effort a private party bought the tenant a new machine and told the council to remove the second hand machine that no normal citizen would find reasonable to use.
Any reasonable and fair request for maintenance or care is greeted in a manner that is obstructive, dysfunctional, rude and dismissive.
To the point one becomes to question the expenditure of such extravagant spending such as bail-outs, inflatable domes etc when the housing department of Christchurch
City Council is fractured, lacks leadership, inspiration, awareness of the grief it puts their tenants through, citizens, people of the city who pay for services by way of rent and are pushed to extremes that most ordinary person would not entertain in their lives. I am sure the Mayor would not like to be treated in his home the same. Or have service people walking in his absence.
The hardship of struggling to pay for power in the winter using inefficient heating in flats with non insulated walls and freezing conditions and those with medical reasons are denied efficient heat pumps to disperse damp air and mold. Unless you are wheel chair bound.
It is a disgraceful way to treat and burden those that are less fortunate; we should celebrate and care for them. The simple things of life to aid their quality of life should come before luxury ticket items and above all treated with courtesy and respect. After all they have paid the rent and for the services.
The Christchurch
City Council housing stock can afford to do so but the constraints appear to have formed through mismanagement, greed and waste by the Council themselves.
