A warm, accessible and affordable home has given Craig Goodwin the independence he needs to have his own life, without his disability holding him back.
Mr Goodwin, who has minor cerebral palsy, is one of 14 people living in the newly built community housing units on Clarke St in central Tauranga and says a "fit-for-purpose" home has made his life much easier.
Yesterday, he celebrated with the Tauranga Community Housing Trust to formally open the village with Tauranga MP Simon Bridges, Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller, Minister for Social Housing Paula Bennett and Mayor Stuart Crosby getting a first-hand look through the units.
"For me, it's made my life easier," Mr Goodwin told the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend.
"It's allowed me to have my own life and not be stuck at home with my parents. It's given me more independence."
Tauranga City Council sold the old run-down village, with its eight units, to the Tauranga Community Housing Trust in 2013 for $850,000 and the first residents moved into the improved village last November.
The trust planned to upgrade and relocate the former 1960s-era pensioner flats for community housing.
Mr Goodwin lived in the former Clarke St flats from 2011 until the beginning of 2014 when construction on the new units began.
"I could fit my old unit in the lounge of my new one," he said. His new bathroom was bigger and there were no stairs, which helped him get around, he said.
He remembered sitting in front of a heater with layers of clothes and thick socks on in his old flat and was looking forward to a warmer, healthier winter in his new unit.
Bay of Plenty MP Mr Muller said the first thing he noticed about the units was how homely, warm and welcoming they were.
It was good to see how well the units suited the tenants' needs and he said it could become a model for other social housing projects in the future.
Tauranga MP Simon Bridges said the units were "living proof" of the capabilities of local organisations.
Mayor Stuart Crosby congratulated the Tauranga Community Housing Trust for pulling off a huge project and providing safe and warm homes for their tenants.