Mauveen Neill likens her new home to a phoenix, rising from the ashes of the old. The 59-year-old was all smiles during site inspection of Arataki House, a live-in support home for people with mental illnesses, at Whau Valley in Whangarei yesterday. Mauveen was a tenant before a fire razed the centrein 2004. She was happy to return - this time to brand-new digs. Arataki Ministries manager Robert Coats said the new building - designed by Whangarei architect Ron Esveld - has room for eight clients in three two-bedroom and two one-bedroom flats. Residents are referred by hospitals, and get 24-hour support as they re-adjust to living in the community. The shortest stay was seven days and the longest 11 years. A $100,000 grant from The Lion Foundation and $180,000 from the ASB Trusts helped build the new facility after the original building was razed three weeks into a $350,000 refurbishment project. Arataki Ministries received $500,000 in insurance payouts, but the total cost of rebuilding was $1.3 million. Mr Coats said Arataki Ministries had helped more than 100 people in the past 10 years. The new building will be officially opened tomorrow.
