Juliet Drage, left, and Anne Morrison are worried tenants in Metlifecare’s St Andrew’s village will have nowhere to live when their notice period ends in March. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
A Cambridge social services agency is begging Swedish-owned retirement giant Metlifecare to “do the right thing” and stop plans to evict rental tenants from 11 of its units in St Andrew’s village.
Chair Anne Morrison and secretary Juliet Drage say the Cambridge Committee of Social Services wants to pursue an appropriate response from Metlifecare to bring some security into the lives of the elderly who rent accommodation in the village.
“Legally they can do what they’re doing but ethically? They could do it by attrition, they’ve still got time to do something about it,” said Morrison.
Metlifecare has told its tenants – one of whom has lived there for 15 years and another who has since moved out – they must be out by March next year.
Anne Morrison, Cambridge Committee of Social Services
Then the company will upgrade the old villas – built by the church in 1977 for elderly renters – and put them into its Occupation Right Agreement pool.
A company spokesperson told The News, in response to our query whether it was reconsidering its decision in light of the community response, that it remained committed to assisting the tenants.
“We continue to work hard to offer our support and to help those tenants still yet to find suitable alternative accommodation in the coming months.”
Drage, who is a vocational deacon in the St Andrew’s parish, says residents are fearful about the situation.
One who did not want to be named supplied a statement to The News.
“We trusted the St Andrew’s title because the church is a safe place. We believe Metlifecare and Selwyn before them would honour the St Andrew’s concept of providing accommodation for those unable to purchase (their own houses). We never thought they would ask us to leave.”
Peter Carr
Retirement Village Residents Association president Peter Carr, who lives in Cambridge, said the rental tenants were not covered by his association but he was aware of a national and local shortage of rental accommodation for the elderly.
“When this new government has a minute, they need to consider this,” he said. “The problem is not going to go away.”
The average age of people now living in retirement villages nationally was 81.5 years. When the Summerset and Ryman retirement villages in Cambridge are completed, five per cent of the total population in the town would be living in retirement villages, he said.
“In 10 years’ time, when the cohort who are in villages now move on, there will be a need for rental accommodation. I’ve told the national operators to be prepared,” said Carr.
Deciding whose problem it was – the government’s, local authorities or landlords – was a major issue.
“House pricing has kept a lot of people out of the market and some people have paid rent because they want to spend their money (now),” said Carr.
Waipā District Council is one of the few local authorities in the country still in the pensioner housing market. The council has nearly 70 people on its waiting list – just under half from Cambridge. Wait times vary between two to five years.
It is building 10 new one-bedroom units in Leamington. Habitat for Humanity will manage the tenants and rental process.
“Metlifecare should do the right thing and protect our older residents, showing kindness, giving them stability and comfort in knowing they can remain in the houses they have called home for so many years,” said Morrison.
She wrote to Metlifecare chief executive Earl Gasparich, Operations general manager Hannah Walton and board chair Paul McClintock last week seeking a meeting with the company.
Morrison told The News Gasparich has confirmed he will talk to her today (Thursday).
Juliet Drage, left, and Anne Morrison outside the block of older units Metlifecare wants to upgrade. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
