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Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett has welcomed the release of the Ministry of Social Development’s Purchasing Strategy for social housing, saying it gives providers direction and certainty.

The strategy, released today, gives detailed information for providers and outlines the ministry’s plans for extra social housing over the next four years.

Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says a new development in Auckland is a fantastic example of community housing providers and agencies working together to house vulnerable families.

The new 15-unit apartment block for transitional housing in Glen Eden is the result of a collaboration between Housing New Zealand and providers VisionWest, Monte Cecilia and Airedale Properties, with support from LifeWise.

Changes to the way community housing providers are funded are paying further dividends as much-needed new supply comes on stream in Auckland, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says.

More than 50 new social housing places have been created in Papakura and Mangere through funding changes made by the Government in which community housing providers (CHPs) are able to access Income-Related Rent Subsidies.

Compass Housing Services and LinkPeople will lease new one- and two-bedroom properties from private owners for social housing for up to 10 years.

More than 150 households have taken up the offer of financial help to move from Auckland to other regions, improving their own living arrangements and freeing up valuable social housing for others.

In June, the Government introduced the grant of up to $5000 for relocation costs to help people who wanted to move from Auckland but otherwise could not afford to.

Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says the uptake of the relocation grant has been so successful that more funds would be allocated to the scheme.

The first of 14 families have begun moving into a new block of apartments in Auckland which are the result of a partnership between government agencies and community housing providers, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says.

“I am delighted that Housing New Zealand, the Ministry of Social Development and three providers have worked together to ensure that 14 vulnerable families have somewhere safe and secure to live and where they will receive the help they need to address issues that may be holding them back,” Mrs Bennett says.

The Government is proposing to transfer up to 2500 social houses in Christchurch to community housing providers (CHPs), Ministers Bill English and Paula Bennett have announced.

The Government is progressing its ambitious Social Housing Reform Programme and the Housing New Zealand (HNZ) owned properties in Christchurch are the second tranche to be proposed for transfer, following the appointment of Accessible Properties as the preferred provider for 1124 properties and tenancies in Tauranga. 

A new social housing complex of 120 apartments is to be built on surplus Crown land and an adjoining Housing New Zealand site in Auckland in partnership with local iwi, Ministers Paula Bennett and Nick Smith have announced.

Housing New Zealand (HNZ) and development partners Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki and Gemscott Resources Limited have signed a heads of agreement to develop the 12,010sq m site on Great North Rd in Waterview into one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. All the homes will be retained by HNZ for social housing.

Building is moving ahead rapidly at a site in Auckland where more than 40 families at any one time will be housed by early next year, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says.

Mrs Bennett visited the site at Luke St, Otahuhu, this morning where she met some of the people working on the build and was shown the techniques that have made construction so quick.

More emergency housing places, more support for tenants and more frontline staff have been funded in the next step in the Government’s comprehensive housing plan.

The funding boost of more than $300 million will be enough for up to an extra 1400 places at any one time, 600 in Auckland and the remaining 800 places in areas of high demand around the country.

A total of 100 families and individuals have taken up an offer of financial help to move out of Auckland, freeing up social housing for others in urgent need.

The Government introduced the grant of up to $5000 for relocation costs to help people who wanted to move from Auckland but otherwise could not afford to, on June 20, 2016.

“This is a fantastic result. This is potentially 100 homes that have been freed up for people in urgent housing need in Auckland, with more to come,” Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says.

State Services Minister Paula Bennett has today announced the publication of New Zealand’s second National Action Plan under the international Open Government Partnership.

“New Zealand is internationally recognised as world-leading in open and transparent government with well-established public accountability processes, advanced open data systems and a strong, high integrity public service,” Mrs Bennett says.

An increase in the number of applicants for social housing shows people in urgent need of housing are becoming more aware that help is available to them and seeking it out, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says.

The number of people seeking social housing on the Housing Register at the end of September was 4602, up 725 or 18.7 per cent on the June quarter.

Another 1168 people and their families are already in social housing and on the register seeking a transfer to another house.

Housing New Zealand lodged 60 resource consent applications in the last quarter which, if approved, will build houses for over 3000 people in Auckland, Ministers Bill English and Paula Bennett say.

Housing New Zealand’s Asset Development Group has lodged the consents to build 1297 new houses, which will have the potential to accommodate more than 3200 people in 20 suburbs across the city.

Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett has welcomed collaboration between the housing sector and agencies on a plan aimed at keeping at-risk tenants in their homes.

The Ministry of Social Development (MSD), Housing New Zealand Corporation and key housing sector members have come together to co-design a Sustaining Tenancies initiative in which community-based providers will work intensively with people in social housing who may be at risk of losing their tenancies because of ongoing issues.

More than 100 state houses that would otherwise have been demolished have been given a new lease on life through a partnership between Housing New Zealand and Corrections that refurbishes the homes and also gives prisoners valuable work skills.

At Rolleston Prison in Christchurch, more than 40 houses have been restored since the ‘Second Chance’ scheme began in 2013. Another 17 are currently being refurbished and 42 have been delivered to the prison and await work.

The Government is seeking partners to manage emergency housing and provide support services for tenants in the next step in its plan to increase the number of emergency places throughout New Zealand.

After the success of securing more than 3000 emergency places across the country, the Government is asking community organisations with expertise to help both increase supply and manage new government-owned facilities, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says.

The Government has granted nearly $2.5 million in assistance to help people move from social housing to sustainable private housing, freeing up places for those who need it most, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says.

Housing Support Products (HSPs) were introduced in July, 2014, to help people achieve independence by moving into the private housing market and to remain in it. Since then, 1954 HSPs worth a total of $2.44 million have been granted.

E nga mana, e nga reo, e te iwi o te motu, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.

Introduction –  Community Housing Sector

Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today.

I would like to acknowledge:

Vacant Crown land in Auckland will be turned into a 51-home development to provide transitional housing for families before they move into permanent accommodation, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett has announced.

The 1.6ha site at Luke St, Otahuhu, has been earmarked by its owner the Ministry of Education for a future school, but in the meantime will be developed into 27 two-bedroom, seven three-bedroom and 17 four-bedroom homes for families on the social housing register.

The Salvation Army is to receive more than $1.5 million to fund 884 emergency housing places across the country each year.

Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett announced on Tuesday that Budget 2016 funding, directly targeted at emergency housing, has so far resulted in 30 organisations providing 3032 new and existing emergency places.

A target of around 3000 emergency housing places funded per year has been exceeded and Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett is seeking even more places to help house vulnerable New Zealanders.

The second round of funding for a share of $33 million announced in Budget 2016, directly targeted at emergency housing, has so far resulted in 51 proposals from 30 providers across the country providing 3032 new and existing emergency places per year.

The Government’s Social Housing Reform Programme is on track with more social housing available in Auckland and more on the way, says Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett.

There are currently 3185 community housing places funded from Income Related Rent subsidies throughout New Zealand and an increase in Housing New Zealand houses in Auckland, with another 3000 to be delivered over the next three years.

The Government is giving an extra $24.4 million to community housing providers to increase the supply of social housing in Auckland.

“We know the property market is extremely tight in Auckland at present, and it is no different for those organisations helping to house our most vulnerable citizens. This extra funding will allow community housing providers (CHPs) create more medium- to long-term social housing, and faster, where the need is most acute,” Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says.

IHC subsidiary Accessible Properties has been chosen as the preferred provider to take over the ownership of Housing New Zealand’s properties in Tauranga, Ministers Bill English and Paula Bennett say.

Accessible Properties was one of three shortlisted respondents asked to submit a formal proposal to purchase the 1124 properties and take over the management of their tenancies.

The Government is now working with Accessible Properties to finalise the agreement. It is expected negotiations will be completed by October with a final decision to be made shortly after.