Tigist

An example of Dwell meeting our mission to provide affordable, quality homes where people flourish.
A warmer, drier home for a family of five.

In April 2014 Dwell, as a registered community housing provider, became able to access Income Related Rent Subsidy (IRRS) for their new tenants. Tenants receiving IRRS pay rent which is calculated based on the income of the household at the time the housing offer is accepted. Rent payable by the tenant works out at 25% of their take-home income if they earn less than the weekly New Zealand Superannuation payment, or 50% of their income if they earn more than that. The government pay the rest of the rent to make accommodation more affordable to those on low incomes.

Tigist lived in a Housing New Zealand property in Kilbirnie from 2007 until February 2015. In February she moved into a brand new Dwell property in Brooklyn with her four children aged ten, six, three and one. As Dwell was eligible for IRRS, Tigist was able to move into a more modern home and pay the same amount in rent as she did in her Housing New Zealand home.

Their previous home was old, cold and damp. Her eldest son and daughter suffered with eczema and asthma, conditions which their doctor advised were being exacerbated due to the property they were living in. Due to this diagnosis, they were accepted onto the MSD Housing list for a transfer to another Housing NZ property or to be considered for a property with a community housing provider.

“My children were very sick in our old property. I struggled to sleep as I was kept awake by my daughter who spent most nights up itching due to her eczema; this was despite us using creams every day at regular intervals. This affected our quality of life as we were tired all the time”.

Tigist was matched to a Dwell property through the Social Housing register with MSD. Tigist was then invited to a viewing of the newly built townhouses in Brooklyn. The properties are double-glazed throughout, insulated and built to a modern standard.

“When I first saw the property I was very excited and happy that I could be considered for such a lovely home. I had been waiting for a warmer, drier house for some time and had even looked into renting the private market but this was unaffordable”.

“I had also considered moving to Auckland to access a warmer climate but friends and family were based around the Wellington area, I didn’t want to lose these people”.

Following that viewing and an assessment on her application, Tigist was offered the property In Brooklyn and in February 2015 she and her family moved in. This placed her close to friends that live in a Council property in Brooklyn. To start with her older children remained at a school! in Lyall Bay but moved to Ridgeway Schoo! in Brooklyn after one term, enabling them to meet and befriend other children in the neighbourhood.

“My children have settled well in their new school and have made many friends. They are also friends with other children in the neighbourhood”.

“I like living in Brooklyn, it is a very welcoming community. The adjacent community centre invites us to the events they hold and the children are able to use their green spaces to play”.