Article – Visionwest
Onokura and Ana
Ono and Ana want only the very best for their seven children but something seemingly as simple as finding a house has been a monumental challenge for them.They are part of an ethnic group that experiences homelessness or severe housing deprivation at a rate four to five times that of European New Zealanders, according to research from the University of Otago and published on the HUD website.
This is the second in a series of three stories putting a human face to New Zealand’s housing crisis as we introduce whānau who have been supported by Visionwest through their struggle with homelessness.
Ria Akuhata lives in a van to pay off her mortgage faster
It was after midnight in the Auckland suburb of Avondale, and Ria Akuhata was asleep in her van. There was something in the air that night. Outside protesters slept in the branches of native trees, rare kawaka and black maire, destined to be felled to make way for a new housing development. It was a thump against the van’s roof that awoke Akuhata. “Someone’s ripped off our signage!” one of the protesters yelled. Even small movements inside a minivan can be difficult, the 48-year-old says. The space between limbs and vehicle is negotiated through a series of “strange yoga poses”. As she scrambled to her feet, the sleeping bag around her ankles caused her to fall forward on to her palms.
Putting A Face To New Zealand s Homeless – Part 2 scoop.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from scoop.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Five per cent of New Zealand houses lack at least one of six basic amenities including drinkable tap water, electricity, a toilet, and a kitchen sink, a new report from the He Kāinga Oranga Housing and Health Research Programme at the University of Otago, Wellington has found