Man with disability moves into own home after four years waiting in a motel

• Man with disability moves into own home after four years waiting in a motel
• Shane Emeny makes a plea for government agencies to do better so there's no repeat
• The agencies say they'll looks at ways to improve
• Meanwhile Emeny plans to move on with his life after a long period of limbo.

A New Plymouth man paralysed in a fall is finally in a home of his own after more than four years living in a motel room.

Shane Emeny's Kāinga Ora house has been modified for a wheelchair user and gives him the privacy he's craved since 2021.

And, at long last, he has a spare room for when his 11-year-old son Liam comes to stay.

Now, Emeny wants to make sure no one is again left languishing for years in emergency accommodation, which comes at a hefty cost to the people there and the taxpayer.

The 49-year-old received the keys to his home last week and for the first time in years can welcome visitors.

He became a paraplegic after falling from a five-metre concrete ledge in 2021 and, after a spell at the Burwood spinal unit in Christchurch, returned to New Plymouth in July that year and moved straight into a motel room.

"From the motel to here - this is what I always wanted, a place for my son and me and to start living as a disabled person totally catered for," he said this week.

The new house has a ramp at the back and chair lift at the front.

Unlike the motel room there are proper cooking facilities and he can access the laundry, so he doesn't have to get his parents, John and Joy, to do his washing.

He has a remote for the heat pumps. At the motel he didn't and would have to get out of bed and into his chair to dial the warmth up or down at night.

The spare room for Liam means the two won't have to share a bed, as they did in the motel.

"Mental health-wise, I roll out and open up the front door and say gidday to people. My car park is there and it's dedicated for myself and it's covered, so even in the wet I can come and go.

"I'm a positive guy, so I just feed all into that."

The past four years haven't been so positive, as Emeny said he felt forgotten and that he was in limbo.

"[Becoming disabled] at the age of 45, this is your life. This is where things are meant to start.

"You're so isolated. You're so restricted. You're just left without the necessities of life, so really these last four years have all been about understanding myself and keeping my health in a good place."

Plea for government agencies to do better

Emeny said he was first shown his Kāinga Ora house almost two years ago and it was confirmed as his early last year, but modification work, funded by ACC, only began this year.

He was barely kept informed of what was happening, he said.

"The communication has just been diabolical. Even when they say that they've been having meetings each week I wasn't privy to that information or anything. I just got a few bits of drip-fed stuff from ACC.

"So for two years I just felt really left out."

He's clear about his reasons for sharing so much of his story.

"I'm really worried if someone else goes in there, because how long is that going to be? That's why I've been putting my voice out there, because I want to raise awareness about housing, but also for other people.

"It all comes down to care. We've got to love a little bit more."

The new house isn't perfect - a few more modifications are needed and Emeny said the lino floors felt clinical and cold.

But, he no longer has to melt in summer and shiver through winter, nor pile his belongings into tiny spaces.

He's also able to use his standing frame, which he didn't have room to set up in his motel, and can create a proper space to do his painting.

"The art has been probably a bit of a saviour over the last few years.

"When you're in a tight space [I could] continue to do something that I'm passionate about, but it also allows me to connect with others because I've been selling my art."

Now he's no longer in limbo Emeny doesn't plan to keep still. He hopes to start doing regular work, perhaps as a speaker, and buy his own home.

He's also grateful to hear the sound of birds rather than traffic from the busy intersection near the motel.

There's a backyard where Liam can play, something that beats kicking balls around the motel car park.

"Liam got very good at not hitting cars and not running out on the main road. You don't want your son running on to the main road...

"He was kicking around a concrete area, around cars and vehicles."

Promise to work together better

RNZ asked the Ministry of Social Development, Kāinga Ora and ACC what they've learned from Emeny's case.

Kāinga Ora regional director Graeme Broderick said the agency understood Emeny's frustration with the delays in getting into his home, but was pleased he was now there and able to live independently.

"The wait was due to the difficulties we had finding a suitable property that could be modified to his needs and the length of time that it took to modify the home, including specifying the required modifications and obtaining necessary consents.

"Kāinga Ora was one of three agencies involved with finding and modifying suitable housing for Mr Emeny. We're keen to work with the other agencies to explore ways the process could be sped up in the future."

ACC acting head of client recovery Matthew Goodger also acknowledged Emeny's frustration.

"Housing modifications can sometimes be a complex exercise, especially when they are extensive, as was the case here. Building consents and resource consents take time. This is an aspect that is outside of our control," he said.

Modification work and upgrades for healthy homes standards were done at the same time.

All parties worked hard to get the best result for Emeny as fast as possible, and were in continual contact with him, although Emeny disputes this.

"We will be meeting with partner agencies in the coming weeks to consider our process, so any necessary improvements can made for future projects," Goodger said.

The ministry's regional commissioner Gloria Campbell said Emeny's case "highlighted the limited availability of modified properties across New Zealand and the need for effective collaboration between agencies, to meet the housing needs of people with serious disabilities".

"We know that emergency housing was not a good solution for Shane. Emergency housing is a last resort when no other options are available," she said.

The ministry supported Emeny while he was waiting for a suitable home and had continued to provide assistance now he'd moved.

"While we assess and prioritise need for public and community housing, we do not secure or allocate that housing. MSD is reliant on private and public housing providers for housing supply."

It spent $217,790 on Emeny's motel accommodation.

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