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Joseph Johnson / Stuff
Kevin Cotton is happy and warm in his new rental home in Christchurch.
Kevin Cotton has a new home, a new hat, and a new life.
“I’m out of the igloo,” Cotton said. “Wahoo”.
The 83 year old said Stuff he “couldn’t wait to drop dead” because he was so desperate to leave his frozen and mold-riddled social housing unit in Christchurch.
His windows were damaged by the 2011 earthquake, still awaiting repairs, and a cold stream “hissed” through his room.
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“I go to bed at night and the wind whistles through the broken window and I hope I don’t have to wake up. Christmas? I wish I had croaked earlier, ”Cotton said of the Concord Pl complex that he and his partner Gillian Pool dubbed“ the ghetto. ”
CHRIS SKELTON / Things
So: In a Stuff story published two weeks ago, Kevin Cotton said he felt depressed about life in a social housing complex. He and his partner Gillian Pool felt that their health problems were compounded by the poor quality of their home, which was terribly cold and moldy.
Joseph Johnson / Stuff
Now: A New Man: Kevin Cotton is all smiles this week now that he’s in his new lodge.
Just before Christmas, Cotton opened the door of his new rental house wearing his favorite Elvis t-shirt and smiling broadly.
“A good lady from Kāinga Ora saw the story and called me in person to tell me that she had a house for me,” Cotton said.
” It tickles me pink. It’s the exact same rental and it’s amazing … it even has that new car smell. “But most importantly: double glazing.
In his new unit’s place of honor is a Crusaders rugby team beanie and cap, which the team sent him for Christmas.
” They even sent me stickers and all that. But I don’t need to wear a hat to go to the bathroom anymore because this place is so warm. ”
Cane in one hand, when she opened the door to her clean bathroom, her smile is so wide you can see her teeth.
” Look at this, it’s got the handy dandy rail and there’s my shower. I could even go in and get rid of my whiskers. I am like a new man. ”
He hopes Pool can meet him soon.
Cotton’s former owner is the Christchurch Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust (ŌCHT), a charitable trust that rents the Christchurch City Council’s social housing portfolio.
It is the largest provider of non-governmental social housing on the South Island, with 2,300 households in Christchurch City and the Banks Peninsula.
ŌCHT CEO Cate Kearney said she was unable to speak about individual tenants.
The trust did not know the status of the earthquake repairs when the properties were transferred, he said, “so we had to incorporate that into our planning.”
” First we must make sure that the houses are warm and dry.
“You have identified some problems and we are doing everything possible to fix things at that complex.”
ŌCHT was prioritizing repair work, Kearney said.
“We can’t do everything because we are a charitable trust, but we are prioritizing planning to determine what needs to be done first, what we can afford to do, and what we need to put into a long-term plan.” she said.
” I get a lot of positive feedback and comments from happy tenants. ”
CHRIS SKELTON / Things
Kevin Cotton’s old house in a social housing unit has windows that still need to be repaired a decade after the 2011 earthquake.
ŌCHT had put in “many positive initiatives in the short time” since taking over from the Christchurch City Council, he said. Some of their homes were old and in poor condition.
Heat pumps had been installed in all homes and ventilation had been installed in bathrooms and kitchens.
Insulation was installed in homes on Concord Pl in November.
“We are eager to see what we can do to get a warmer envelope, but we must ask ourselves what is the best way to do it with these units,” he said.
“I think this year we have done quite well.”
The earthquake-damaged windows at Cotton’s former unit are unlikely to be repaired for another decade, Kearney said.
Supplied
Cate Kearney, Executive Director of the Otautahi Community Housing Trust.
” That will have to go into our long-term maintenance plan, not healthy home work.
” We are doing reactive maintenance. We are planning 10, 20 and 30 years of repairs … it’s quite a complex planning process. ”
ŌCHT was supporting vulnerable people in the community at a time when social housing was in high demand, he said.
