Stories

Providing a home to return to

The first COVID lockdown was hard for most New Zealanders, but it was doubly hard for Sarah* when she lost her home in the middle of it.

Escaping violence

Grace* and her son were referred to Monte Cecilia from another organisation seeking support to leave a relationship where she was suffering from domestic violence. 

Paying it forward

When Georgina walked into a Monte Cecilia office in 2008, she didn’t expect moving into Monte housing would be the first step in discovering her own passion for supporting other families.

Perfect Family Outcome

Chelsea*, Elliot* and their three children were living with Chelsea’s sister and partner in a two bedroom minor dwelling that was rundown and incredibly small.

Living in lean to garage

 Single Mother with three children living in a horrible garage 

Lucy and her four children previously lived in a rental house which was under her ex-husband. One day the husband decided to move out of the house. Lucy was heartbroken because was not working and she was stressed, thinking about how she is going to pay the rent.

Cockroach infested motel

Before moving into a Monte house, I was living at my parents’ house with my twin boys and nephew that’s in my care. We were in 1 bedroom, overcrowded...…..

Cold, Damp, and Mouldy

Family moved in with a cousin and lived in overcrowded, 3 bedroom HNZ property that had total of 6 adults and 3 children.   Mary was 28 weeks pregnant and found it hard sleeping on the floor in the lounge with her family.

Now they're making plans...

Amiria* and her family were in a rat and flea infested private rental, with a landlord that refused to listen to their complaints about substandard housing. Their tenancy was terminated.    

Whanau settled into a safe and stable home

John* and his partner, along with their 6 children, were very transient moving several times between whanau since 2003. This was due to a relationship breakdown, tenancy breach and having such a large family that contributed to overcrowded living.

At the last property that the family lived in, their oldest son got involved with a local gang 

Just another day...

Thomas* was having a very stressful time when he had made contact with Monte Cecilia Housing Trust. His partner was in I.C.U and his current lease was to end on that day which added more stress to Thomas’ situation. 

Monte Cecilia's kindness impacted a child almost twenty years ago

Joseph Paulo, 34, grew up in Monte Cecilia housing in the early 1990s. He has now come full circle............

Family forced to sleep in their car

Referred by Work and Income due to overcrowding in a temporary Housing New Zealand house, where they were sleeping on the floor of the dining room..

SINGLE MUM TURNS LIFE AROUND

Sandra,* is a single Mum with five kids (5yrs-14yrs).  For five years they were living in a three bedroom HNZ home and they only used  two of the bedrooms. The third bedroom was not livable.  

HELPING BREAK THROUGH BARRIERS

HAPPY HOME OUTCOME

After her sister gained support from Monte Cecilia, Allison* knew she could ask for help in attempting to leave her Housing New Zealand house,  

HAPPY MUM AND DAUGHTER

*Mere not her real name.
Atalia* and her daughter contacted Monte Cecilia for help because they were living in a car for the past three months ...........

FAMILY AT PEACE NOW

Pila* contacted Monte Cecilia Housing Trust asking for support for her and two young children. They were sleeping in the lounge......

Supported By Monte Cecilia

Mere* was in a volatile relationship with her partner, and she kept getting kicked out of the house by him. She decided to leave....

Emergency,Transitional, Housing First, Social Housing Confused....

So are we at times. Monte Cecilia had offered supported emergency housing for 34 years, then in 2016/17, the government allowed motels to be used rather than staying homeless........

New Facility & HQ Opened & Blessed

October 10 was a historic day for Monte Cecilia Housing Trust when we opened our new 30 x two bedroom units for families in housing crisis which means for many homeless. 

AN AMAZING GIFT 

Donated to Monte Cecilia by Bourke and Karen OConnor (Bourke Monte Trust Board member). It was made some 30 years ago 

NOT ABLE TO AFFORD AND SUSTAIN RENT

This family have been very transient moving between family homes and private rentals due to not being able to       afford and sustain rent. There was history of DV and alcohol use and their first child was uplifted by Oranga Tamariki when the child was 4 months old. The couple used to be always angry to one another. 

OVERCROWDED HOUSING SITUATION

Mum is now thriving

Eva* is a single mother with 3yr old son, they previously lived in an old warehouse in Onehunga that was made into a church. They needed support because the room was cold and her son would get sick often.  It was small and could only fit a double mattress on the floor and not much else.

NOW WORKING FULL TIME & DOING A NURSING DEGREE

How Monte Cecilia changed my life

Monte Cecilia, I never heard of this name before in NZ, despite living here for 12 years.  One tragedy in my life changed everything.  Me and my family were involved in a house fire on 3rd of September 2018 when everything in our life turned upside down.  Luckily we managed to escape the fire on time but we lost almost all of our belongings.

Tensions between family members resolved

Sandra came into Monte Cecilia emergency housing after living with Sandra’s in laws but had to move out due to tensions between family members as the house was overcrowded.

Back to school from a home they call their own

Leah walked through the Monte Cecilia West office doors in November 2018 seeking help for her and her family. Her family is made up of herself, her husband and their four beautiful children all under the age of 12.

Family were in significant debt and struggling

Terri* came to Monte Cecilia, through a client who was living in a Monte Cecilia Community social house.  They were living in a 2 bedroom house and there were 4 adults and 4 children.  During the time working with Monte Cecilia they were asked to leave this house as it was overcrowded and WINZ placed them in a Motel.

Terri* not real name

All four children had pneumonia

Maia and her 4 children had been residing at The Women’s Refuge for 2 months and were referred to Monte Cecilia by Work and Income.  Prior to this, the family lived in WINZ emergency housing in Northland for 2 years.

Now one of the top sales reps for her company

“Anne” came to Monte as a referral from another housing provider. Anne is a sole parent to 2 small children and we moved them into our emergency housing in South Auckland.

Mum with 4 year and 2 year - old living in a garage

Referral from the Turuki Healthcare in Mangere. A single mother with two children, a 4-year-old boy and 2-year-old girl all living in the garage which was not an appropriate place to stay for this family and their children. 

Laptops from Germany

Sally and her family had a long history of waiting to get into social housing. Initially they were staying in a private rental, both Sally and her husband were working, but with rent hikes and change in family circumstances they could not afford to pay the rent.

A tragedy struck the family two years ago, where there were three deaths of close relatives in Samoa within one year. Sally’s hours in her job also became less so their income was substantially reduced.

Staff Farewell

Cecilia, with her two children, came to Monte Cecilia over 28 years ago. New to Auckland, she was seeking emergency housing and a hand up to establish her little family in Auckland.

Monte staff reached out with love and compassion, housing Cecilia’s family, who months later, were offered a state house (HNZC).

Dana's Story

Dana³ is a mum with one 10-year-old boy. Dana was married but her husband was significantly abusive to which her son often witnessed.

There are emotional repercussions for both Dana and her son, but she is quietly, and with great courage, navigating to find a resolution for them both.

Mandy's Story

Mandy², a mum with four children, came into Monte emergency housing in April 2018.

She had been living with her sister, brother-in-law and their four children, in a 3-bedroom house in Mangere since October 2017. Overcrowding was an issue. The reason Mandy found herself in this position was due to the breakup of her marriage.

Mandy is a qualified ECE teacher and is wanting full time work but was unsure where to apply because of her housing situation being so unstable. 

Monte’s new support programme for mums leaving prison

For mothers leaving prison, finding a place to live with their children has been a significant challenge. But a new collaboration with Corrections, Probation and partnership with Family Works, Presbyterian Northern means Monte is providing safe, warm homes for mothers to begin rebuilding their lives.

Finding a home for baby

While some new parents eagerly decorate their baby’s room, others just want to find a safe place to bring them home to. When Bella and Joel discovered they were expecting their first baby, they knew the boarding house they had lived in for almost a year was no place for a newborn, so they turned to Monte for help.

My life was transformed

A past client of Monte Cecilia Housing Trust, Ruth2  explains how the lives of she and her children were transformed by the support she received: “I’ll never forget the support from the Monte staff in my difficult days. Those days of support have changed my life forever.”

Lifting the language barrier

A lack of English-language skills is one of the most common and biggest barriers facing the families we work with in West Auckland. But Monte is working to support families to learn English and gain the skills and confidence they need to achieve their goals.

A Self-Referral

Louise came to our organisation as a self-referral, desperately looking for a house because her husband had been brutally attacked. Due to this Louise with her three children, had become homeless and where living in extreme overcrowded situation.

Reunification

Maryanne’s children have been in the care of other whanau members in relation to concerns with Oranga Tamariki. Maryanne, with the support of OT and other NGO’s, was able to turn her life around and aimed to having her children back.

A Desperate Referral

MCHT received a desperate referral from the Wilson Centre Social Workers in the North Shore. They had a 4 year old boy who had been involved in a serious car accident when driving with his grandmother.

Finding a place to call home

It has been a long journey for Carol, and along the way she believed she would never experience the joy of finding a place for her children to call home.

The Moala's are back on track

Husband Saimone and wife Eleni Moala and their five children are facing 2017 with hope for a better future thanks to Monte Cecilia’s 12 week re-housing programme.

From sharing to owning a home

Back in 1988 Monte Cecilia assisted a mum and her two young children in need. Due to a relationship break up, this young mum, Cecilia, moved to Auckland with her two pre-school children.

Mason and Rose are on their way

According to the 2013 Census, there were 100,000 people living in overcrowded and sub-standard housing in Counties Manukau. Mason and Rose were one such family who lived in the garage on a property that housed another family of seven.  

A big thanks from Arnita and her kids

After spending four months at Monte Cecilia House, Arnita Kukutai and her two children have moved into a home of their own.

Nothing like a garden of their own!

When the Ieru family moved last November from Monte Cecilia Housing Trust’s centre in Mangere to a home of their own in Manurewa, they took with them a garden pack and the skills they had learnt.