Hepi Tapa and Sebastiano Simonetti were one of our first three families to move into our Addison, Takanini development just before Christmas 2012.
First three families move into NZHF’s latest development in Addison, Takanini
Three families received an early Christmas present last year, moving into their brand new home in Poaka Avenue, Takanini on 21 December 2012.
They are the first of 15 families to move into their new street, using our Affordable Equity or Affordable Rental products.
Sebastiano Simonetti and Hepi Tapa and their family moved from living in a cramped shared house with a number of other people into their spacious new home and said it was the best Christmas present they could ever have asked for.
“I had lost hope of ever having our own home,” says Sebastiano.
When the Housing Foundation told us we had a house we couldn’t believe it, and now we are in here we love it.
Both Sebastiano and Hepi work fulltime as health support workers and had tried for a number of years to purchase their own home, leaving them with the prospect of renting for the rest of their lives. But now with support from the Housing Foundation and using our Affordable Rental product, they now have the ability to purchase their home in the next five years.
“The day we got the keys was both our last day at work before the holidays and we had no furniture and no time to get any but we couldn’t wait to move in so for the first night we slept on the floor!
Our son ran around the house and opened every door and ran outside – he was so happy,” - says Sebastiano.
All three families met before they moved in and now know each other well. They are looking forward to meeting their other new neighbours when they move onto the street in the next couple of months.