homelessness

PHOTO: Faapio Sagaga, 72, used to live on Hayward Road in Papatoetoe but is now effectively homeless after the June 19 tornado wrecked her home. Source: rnz.co.nz

For most New Zealanders in their 70s, homelessness is not something that crosses the mind.

But one Papatoetoe woman is facing exactly that, with her uninhabitable tornado-hit rental now up for sale, and her possessions in storage.

Meanwhile, another homeless resident says there is still not enough support for locals struggling to navigate the insurance system, as well as Auckland Council and Ministry of Social Development (MSD) relief funds.

Faapio Sagaga, 72, used to live on Hayward Road in Papatoetoe but is now effectively homeless.

“We’ll start a new life,” she told Checkpoint.

“It’s a new beginning altogether for me.”

Faapio, or Fab – for Fabulous – as she likes to be called, lived in a modest flat at the rear of a section on Hayward Road until that fateful day on 19 June.

READ MORE VIA TVNZ