The woman, who is disabled and wishes to remain anonymous, contacted the Otago Daily Times after University of Otago research found the lack of accessible and affordable rental properties in New Zealand was leaving many disabled people stuck in emergency accommodation that was unsuited to their needs because they were unable to find or afford suitable private rentals.
The research found those with mobility issues often had specific requirements for the physical design and layout of a property, such as ramp access, wide hallways or handrails, which meant there was a much smaller pool of rental housing to choose from.
The Dunedin woman, who uses a wheelchair, said the lack of rental housing meant she had frequent accidents in her temporary housing, and an ambulance was called to help her "roughly every two-three months".
She said she had been homeless for a while because many landlords had turned her down because of her disability.
"Then we found a place to rent during the Covid-19 lockdowns and border closures, but it has no accessible bathroom and the only accessible entrance is the garage."
She said if there was a power cut or an emergency, the electric garage door did not work and trapped her inside.
"I live with the knowledge that if there was a fire, I would not be able to leave the house alive.
"I’ve struggled for years to find accessible housing with a safe bathroom to use, but there is none, and this impacts my ability to bathe safely.
"Often I can’t.
"It is quite embarrassing to say that, and I’m terrified that I may lose even the rental I am in now and be homeless again."
Because the housing did not have appropriate railings or space for wheelchair manoeuvrability, slips and falls had caused severe injuries.
"It was deeply traumatic, and the lack of safe housing has caused brain injuries, sepsis events and the need for surgeries to pin her ankles.
"We live on edge that it can easily happen again, as there is no accessible housing for most disabled people in New Zealand really.
"Unlike many friends, at least we are still here, but it is devastating to have no hope for housing with a bathroom to safely enter in future."
University of Otago (Wellington) public health research fellow Dr Chang Yu said Crown agency Kāinga Ora Homes and Communities had committed to ensuring at least 15% of its new public housing met universal design standards for accessibility.
"But setting an example through state housing will not address the lack of appropriate housing for people with disabilities, given public housing makes up only 4% of the overall housing stock in New Zealand.
"There is no mandate for private landlords and developers to build homes that meet universal or other disability-friendly design standards."
He said the government needed to introduce rent price regulation and find ways to increase the supply of accessible public and private housing to ensure people were not stuck in emergency accommodation unsuited to their needs.
