A project aimed at making southern homes warmer and drier is back on track after a delay related to Covid-19.
Public Health South, whanau consultancy organisation Aukaha, and Habitat for Humanity Dunedin were about to launch a joint initiative, Kia Haumaru Te Kaika ("a safe and secure home") when the snap Alert Level 4 lockdown meant public health staff had to instead pick up contact-tracing duties.
The return to Level 2 meant that the programme, which is aimed at reducing the number of children admitted to hospital with housing-related respiratory illness, was able to resume, Public Health South promotions adviser Jess Roper said.
"We were hoping to get quite a lot of referrals over winter but when lockdown came priorities changed.
"Now, we are looking at previous admissions as well, not just people coming in at the present time."
Qualification for Kia Haumaru Te Kaika comes from an unhappy event, the overnight hospitalisation of a child aged under 15.
Public Health staff are alerted to the admission and then contact the child’s family.
If eligible, their home will be inspected by a Habitat home performance assessor.
Funding through the programme will cover that assessment and measures such as draft-stoppers, curtains and window-insulation film, if needed, to make the home warmer.
Funding for the first 50 homes was provided by the Healthcare Otago Charitable Trust.
"It’s kind of bittersweet because we really want referrals, but we don’t want families living in cold, damp houses," Ms Roper said.
"But housing is intrinsic to good health so this is an important programme."
Public Health South medical officer of health Susan Jack said Kia Haumaru Te Kaika provided simple interventions which, when combined with education, could help families stay healthy.
“Similar initiatives in other areas have shown that investing in making families’ homes warm and dry doesn’t just reduce children’s hospital admissions, it improves life for the whole whanau”.
