With winter fast approaching, the Wellington Curtain bank is asking for the community's help to meet the demand for curtains for low-income homes.
The Curtain Bank upcycles curtains from donated fabric and curtains, tailoring them to fit a person’s windows, and lining them to make them more effective at keeping heat in and cold out.
Annually, more than 500 whānau with a Community Services card ask for the free, lined curtains provided by the bank.
Healthy Homes Manager Miranda Struther says, “While there have been steady donations over the last few months, we still need about 300 pairs of curtains donated before the end of winter to make sure we have enough to go around.”
Wellington Curtain Bank is supported by Sustainability Trust, a social enterprise which supports people to create warmer, healthier homes and reduce impact on the environment.
“It’s a small action that can make a big difference to the home,” says Struthers.
Many of the families who request curtains from Curtain Bank are living in rentals, so have limited control over the warmth of their home with many rental homes poorly insulated and without fixed heating.
Although there are still insulation subsidies from government available for landlords, and legislation to get insulation by July 2019, Struther says landlords have been slow to upgrade properties.
“As an organisation we’re working hard to advocate for better national housing standards, encouraging landlords to upgrade their rental homes and supporting tenants and landlords to access any finance or subsidies available.
But in the meantime, curtains are something the tenant can do right now, and we’re happy to be able to provide that service with the ongoing support of so many generous Wellingtonians.”
Donations of clean, mould-free curtains can be made at Sustainability Trust’s EcoCentre in Forresters Lane (off Tory St), or there are drop off points in Kilbirnie, Lower Hutt, Porirua and Otaki.
Click here for more details.