Finding a home on Middle Rd - meet the new Hopes of Havelock North

Brendan and Julia Hope are two of the tenants who will be moving into the Enliven and Kāinga Ora flat in Havelock North in December. Photo / Paul Taylor

Hope on Middle Rd has increased twofold.

Julia and Brendan Hope are a couple in their 40s, who will be bringing their banter, practical jokes and black cat Jinx to their new Havelock North home in December.

The Waipukurau-based couple are two of five tenants to benefit from a Hawke's Bay-first project between Enliven Disability Services and Kāinga Ora, which is starting a five-bedroom, two-bathroom flat for people in the region living with physical disabilities.

The Hopes are a dynamic duo, bouncing jokes and anecdotes off one another in an engaging match of practised banter.

The pair were quick to be comfortable in the other's company, with their whirlwind romance seeing them marry just a year after meeting.

"My friend, who's a tutor at EIT, where Brendan was studying at the time, said she knew someone I might like and set us up on a blind date. He never really left," Julia said.

"It's still our first date technically," Brendan said.

The couple said it's unusual for a married couple outside of Auckland to be considering flatting in their 40s, but options are few and far between for people with physical disabilities.

"At the moment we're living in an old folks' home and we get treated like we're 90-year-olds. It tends to be the only choice for people living with disabilities," Brendan said.

"Disability-friendly homes don't exist here yet - we're struggling in a system that doesn't meet our needs."

Brendan was diagnosed with Becker muscular dystrophy at 15 and Julia was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at 14. Both of the Hopes navigate the world via wheelchair.

Brendan and Julia say their home in Waipukurau, which was provided by Ministry of Health Needs Assessment and Service Coordination services, hasn't provided the care they need to make their disabilities lose their relevance.

"At the moment our disabilities are the main focus, it takes up all of our time. If we didn't have to worry so much about it, we could start to focus on the other aspects of life," Brendan said.

Enliven Disability service manager Andrew Wordsworth said the new flat will operate according to the "Enabling Good Lives" principle, which aims to support people's wellbeing to the extent they can begin to imagine what a good life will look like.

"The good life is stuff that able-bodied people take for granted, like eating when we want to, walking to the shops, watching what we want to on TV, talking to whoever we want to online, going out, hanging out with friends – it's just basic human rights," he said.

The relief of no longer having their day-to-day activity dictated by their physical limitations will be huge for Brendan and Julia, who are both looking forward to having the opportunity to reconnect with neglected hobbies and their independence.

Julia Hope is looking forward to getting back into the garden and meeting their new flatmates at the Middle Road home. Photo / Paul Taylor

Brendan can't wait to go to the movies, which Julia can't stand. She'd prefer to be in the gym, regaining muscle.

"I'm looking forward to doing some gardening again. We're going to get some vege pods that I want to plant with herbs and courgettes.

"I'm also looking forward to meeting everyone and to having a bit more social interaction.

"Unlike Brendan, the social side of it doesn't bother me. I'm used to living with others from when I lived in Waiheke, it's all peace, love and mung beans."

Brendan is a self-described hermit, who said he might miss the personal space of their Waipukurau home, but he's looking forward to the independence Middle Rd promises, as well as the takeaways.

"There are more options in a bigger city and more opportunities. Brendan will be rapt with the takeaways," Julia said.

Wordsworth began to explain about the chicken and chip shop nearby the Middle Rd flat but barely got the words out before Julia interrupted.

"He knows," she said.

Brendan Hope is looking forward to going to the movies and trialling the chicken and chip offerings in Havelock North. Photo / Paul Taylor

Wordsworth said that the proximity of the flat to the Havelock North village centre was extremely important, as it will enable tenants to be independent and make connections in the community.

"Whether it's going to barbers, shopping, or visiting a cafe, having disabled people in the community benefits everyone.

"Often able-bodied people think about what difference we can make in the lives of disabled people but forget about the huge difference they can make for us. They show us how to be human – through their graciousness, patience, resilience, and love," he said.

Brendan said that real change is required to prioritise spaces and homes for people with physical disabilities and that this change will only come when disability is no longer a stigma.

"People need to stop seeing us for our disability and seeing disability as a bad thing. They need to start seeing us for who we are.

"I want to be me, not my wheelchair, but my wheelchair is all people see," he said.

Brendan and Julia want more education about disabilities and greater accessibility for wheelchair users nationwide.

"Everyone can use ramps, but not everyone can use stairs. We need more ramps, wider doorways, we need more access and representation.

"There's still so little representation of people with disabilities, in government and chambers, even the disability minister isn't actually disabled," Brendan said.

On Friday, Minister for Disability Issues Carmel Sepuloni announced that the Government will establish a new Ministry for Disabled People.

"The current disability system is broken and puts too many barriers in place for disabled people and whānau.

"The disabled community's voices will be embedded at all levels of decision-making, from the formation and running of the ministry to the development of accessibility legislation," Carmel Sepuloni said.

Brendan said the establishment of a ministry that caters directly to people living with disabilities is a step in the right direction, as long as people living with disabilities are at the helm of it.

"The issues with footpaths and buildings are only really understood by people that use wheelchairs.

"Most minorities struggle, but they're so busy trying to survive they don't have time to talk about what they go through. Now is our time to speak," he said.