May 16, 2017

Curtain Bank needs 300 more pairs before winter’s over

Wellington Curtain Bank is asking for the community’s support to meet the demand for curtains for low-income homes this winter.

Each year more than 500 families with a Community Services Card ask for the free, lined curtains provided by Wellington Curtain Bank.

“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,” says Healthy Homes Manager Miranda Struthers.

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.

The Curtain Bank upcycles curtains from donated fabric and curtains, tailoring them to snugly fit a person’s windows, and lining them to make them more effective at keeping heat in and cold out.

“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, 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. See www.sustaintrust.org.nz/curtainbank for more details.

People can also support the Curtain Bank by volunteering their time – plenty of work for skilled sewing machinists or people happy to help fold and measure.

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