Disabled man 'let down' as fourth summer in 'sweat box' motel unit looms

Shane Emeny's belongings fill his New Plymouth motel unit. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham

A man living with disabilities is facing his fourth summer stuck in a hot motel room while he waits for a state house to be modified for his wheelchair.

New Plymouth's Shane Emeny spoke to Checkpoint two months ago about his plight, and was hopeful then his long wait for a home was almost over.

He still does not have a moving date, leaving him feeling isolated and forgotten, although ACC said work on his new home was progressing.

RNZ visited Emeny at the Amber Court Motel this week and walking into his unit it was clear his supposedly temporary accommodation was for the long haul, as a normally sparse room was full of belongings.

Although it might look like a home, the 48-year-old said it did not feel like one.

"To be honest I just feel really let down by everything. As [a disabled person] I just have to sit down and wait, sit and wait for three-plus years. Life doesn't go on for me. It's hard, really," he said.

Emeny became a paraplegic when he severed his spinal cord in a fall from a five-metre concrete ledge.

After his release from hospital in mid-2021 he moved into the motel while waiting for an appropriate Kāinga Ora house, one where he and 10-year-old son Liam, who stays several nights a week, did not have to share a bed.

"We've had a few holidays and summers in here now. This place here, it turns into a sweat box," he said.

A corner full of Liam's belongings included all sorts of sporting equipment, but Emeny and his son have to play in the local park or motel car park as they have no outdoor space of their own.

"We want to be out and want to be active in everything. But we don't get that space. We don't have the space to even just play outside when Dad gets a little bit tired - just something to make our own," Liam said.

Emeny said he was told about a suitable Kāinga Ora home more than a year ago.

It needed modifications, which were being paid for by ACC, but he felt no closer to moving in after recently being told asbestos needed to be removed, and even after receiving an apology after his story became public.

Shane Emeny was hopeful his new home would be ready soon, but he still doesn't have a moving date. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham

First visit from Kāinga Ora staffer

When a senior official came to see him it was the first time someone from Kāinga Ora had visited the motel unit, he said.

In a statement, Kāinga Ora regional director Graeme Broderick said it understood Emeny's frustration and would work with ACC to get the work completed on his new home as fast as possible.

At least 15 percent of Kāinga Ora homes built across New Zealand met full universal design standards and, typically, homes would be modified for wheelchair users when they were "matched" to a property.

"It is not cost effective to specify building a certain number of these homes as they have bespoke features that are not required by most customers."

Shane Emeny says he can't enjoy his art under his current circumstances. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham

'Resource consent filed'

In a statement, ACC deputy chief executive for service delivery Michael Frampton also said he understood Emeny's concerns.

"I'm pleased to say that things are progressing - ACC's plans for the property have been completed and the resource consent has been filed," he said.

ACC and Kāinga Ora were working together so the modifications and Healthy Homes standards work was done at the same time by ACC's housing modification supplier.

Questions about why the modification work had taken so long and when Emeny's home would be ready went unanswered.

Talking to RNZ amid the constant traffic noise from the busy intersection near the motel, Emeny said he just wanted a proper home.

"I've got visitors next door all the time. Especially when it's busy, and they have a night life, a lot of them come home and make a lot of noise, and sit outside my room and drink and smoke. You don't get your own space."

There was no room for Emeny to use a frame that allows him to stand up, and even hobbies, such as his painting, did not bring the same pleasure when he had no separate creative space to visit and instead had to store his art supplies at the foot of his bed.

'A lonely path'

When the new house is ready it will not be perfect either, but Emeny said the current arrangement was affecting his health.

"In myself I'm good, but it's quite a lonely path. It's quite a lonely walk. Just being in here hasn't helped. Just put me in a temporary space and leave me here and hope for the best.

"I'd hate to think that this is happening for other people or it's going to happen for someone else."

Emeny was not just sitting around waiting. He said he was searching for a suitable home that could be modified quickly and was viewing a property this week.