A Happy End to Too Many Moves

Having a roof over your head is one of the fundamental needs and rights of a human being. For mum-of four Abby*, finding housing had been a constant struggle. Until now.

When you’ve moved to another country out of necessity to forge a new life for your family, housing becomes even more central to finding a sense of stability and safety.

For Abby and her family, it hasn’t been an easy journey. Since arriving in New Zealand, the family had been in short-term housing of one kind or another with repeated moves.

“Every time we had to move, I cried,” said Abby at the daunting task of uprooting the family again.

First living in Dunedin, they moved to Wellington for their first private rental and the hope of long-term housing. Unfortunately, they quickly found they were unable to pay the high rent at the private rental and it wasn’t sustainable for them. Again, the family found themselves in temporary housing but it was only short-term and as their leaving date approached, a new fear loomed - not having a roof over her family’s head.

With the threat of homelessness causing Abby distress, she came to The Salvation Army asking for help and to her relief was able to access Salvation Army transitional housing.

It was in our transitional housing that a sense of stability grew for Abby and her family. As her relationship with social worker Janine grew, Abby became more relaxed and settled in the knowledge that, this time, they weren’t going to asked to move on.

“Even with language as a barrier I’ve enjoyed my relationship with Abby,” says Janine.

Now that she had someone to advocate for her, and a financial mentor who could help her get clear about how she was spending her money and what she could afford, Abby could focus on her goal of securing long-term housing.  This dream came true after five months with the family moving into a Kāinga Ora house in the same neighbourhood.

“It’s very rare to find a four-bedroom house, they are like gold,” says Janine. “It was a great result.”

The family is now flourishing and Abby’s eldest daughter, who lives in Auckland, has been to visit for the first time in two years and loved seeing the family so settled.

“I was so happy to see her and I’m glad the children have seen her,” says Abby.

“The children are settled now, they each have their own space and they can put their things where they like.”

*name changed for privacy