How does AWHI work?
AWHI will link you with a
community worker who will
meet
you
and
your
family/whanau and talk about
your housing.
Together, you will develop a
plan and take action to make
your home as healthy as you
can. This may involve:
Free insulation
Free curtains
Applying to Housing New
Zealand to change homes
or get a home
Working with WINZ to get
more financial assistance
Helping someone who lives
there to stop smoking
And thinking of new ways
that might help your house
to be more of a healthy
home.
Is your home
healthy?
If not,
You may be eligible for a free
healthy homes package
through AWHI:
The Auckland Wide Healthy
Homes Initiative
What is a healthy home?
Is your home healthy?
Am I eligible for AWHI?
Healthy homes are warm, dry,
uncrowded and smoke free.
Your home may be not good
for your and your whanau’s
health if:
It is very cold in winter and
difficult to heat
The family sleep together
in the same room to keep
warm in the winter
Children share a bed or
there are more than 2
people in a bedroom
You use an unflued gas
heater
Water drips down the
windows or walls
There is a damp or musty
smell
There is mould (black dots)
on the wall or ceiling
There are gaps in the
windows or doors that let
wind through
People smoke inside
You can be referred to AWHI
if:
 You live in Auckland
 Someone in the house has
a CSC (community services
card) or is eligible for one
(has low wages)
 You are a NZ citizen or
permanent resident
 2 or more children live in
your house
 Your house is not healthy
If your house is ‘unhealthy’,
bugs will like to live there and
you and your children are
more likely to get sick with:
Chest infections
Bronchiolitis
Pneumonia
Strep throat
and Rheumatic fever
(which can cause
permanent heart damage)
Remember: Untreated strep
throats can cause Rheumatic
fever. Get every sore throat
checked.
And your child has been in
Starship
Hospital
with
illnesses such as pneumonia,
chest infections, bronchiolitis,
bronchiectasis, meningitis, or
Rheumatic fever.
Ask
your
nurse,
doctor,
cultural support or social
worker to discuss a referral
with you.
If you smoke, ask about
support to quit. It will make a
difference to your child’s
health and to yours.