Housing Heroes celebrated

Janine receives joint overall winner award from ŌCHT deputy board chair Pam Sharpe.

33 housing heroes were celebrated at our 2022 awards.

Janine and Dean acted quickly in emergencies, going above and beyond when needed most.

The pair were joint overall winners of the annual Housing Heroes Awards announced at Maurice Carter Courts today.

It was the early hours of an August morning, and Dean was in his Vincent Courts home when he heard a strange noise from outside.

He got up to investigate and noticed his neighbour’s bedroom window was ajar when it would ordinarily be shut.

He called out to see if she was okay. She wasn’t. Dean didn’t mess around. He quickly dialed 111 and asked for an ambulance.

When the bus arrived, the ambulance officer said the call led to on-the-spot treatment that may well have saved his neighbour’s life.

Earlier, during a weekend in June, Janine was away from her Coles Place home she got a call from ŌCHT staffer Robert Hardie.

ŌCHT had just received a call from someone worried about the welfare of a tenant who hadn’t been seen for a while.

The police were alerted and Robert was on the hunt for neighbours who might know a bit more about the tenant’s whereabouts.

Janine didn’t hadn’t seen them but wanted to help however she could, so she drove back to Coles Place.

She visited her neighbour’s home and quickly discovered they were there and that they were very unwell.

She called for an ambulance and waited for it to arrive. Later, Robert learned Janine’s quick actions helped avoid the worst.

Janine smiled modestly as she received her award with the whoops of her daughter and clapping from the 50-strong crowd.

She was the last of 33 people to receive awards presented by ŌCHT board chair Alex Skinner and deputy chair Pam Sharpe.

Among the recipients were Christine and Liz, who were both highly commended for their community-focused acts.

Christine organises a food sharing programme at Maurice Carter Courts and Liz advocated for a tenant who needed help after time in hospital.

Among those receiving Housing Heroes certificates and a box of chocolates was Mark, whose Easter egg hunts, food pantry stewardship and gardens bring joy to Dover Courts.

Other winners looked out for vulnerable neighbours, resolved disputes, volunteered their time and supported people after tragedy.

They also who brightened their communities with acts of kindness, doing odd-jobs and tending to communal gardens.

Alex told them all their efforts and sense of community helped make ŌCHT communities even better places to live.

They were all winners – and their communities reaped the rewards.

This was the second year in which the awards were run and hosted by the Tenant Advisory Group.

Alex thanked the organising team of Noeline Monsef, Maria Blackett and Colleen Hanson for yet another outstanding event.