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From next month, Accessible Properties will take over 1138 social houses and tenancies owned by Housing New Zealand.

“This is the first regional, large-scale transfer of Government-owned social houses to a community housing provider. They are a major plank of our plan to improve social housing,” says Social Housing Minister Amy Adams.

A new initiative aimed at ending homelessness in Auckland has officially kicked off.

Today Social Housing Minister Amy Adams and Auckland Mayor Phil Goff launched Housing First Auckland, which aims to house 472 homeless Aucklanders and provide wrap-around services to address the causes of their homelessness.

Vulnerable families will now have other housing options in Lower Hutt thanks to Government funding says Associate Social Housing Minister Alfred Ngaro.

The Minister today visited the blessing and opening of a new transitional house in Naenae.

Koraunui Marae Trust has been contracted to provide housing and support services to the women and children who’ll stay in the six-bedroom, three-bathroom house.

Pacific People’s Minister Alfred Ngaro has welcomed the news that Penina Health Trust has become a registered Community Housing Provider.

The trust, which currently provides a range of mental health services, is the first Pacific group to become a Community Housing Provider.

“I’m thrilled to see that Penina has decided to build on the services they already offer and stepped up to take part in social housing,” says Mr Ngaro.

More families will have a warm and safe place to stay in times of need with the opening of the first stages of an emergency housing development in Otahuhu, Auckland.

The 43-house Luke Street transitional housing development was officially opened today by Prime Minister Bill English.

“Luke Street is the first HNZ purpose built emergency housing development under the Government’s $303.6 million emergency housing funding announced in November 2016,” Social Housing Minister Amy Adams says.

Some of Wellington’s most vulnerable will benefit from a new emergency housing service now open thanks to the Government’s backing, Social Housing Minister Amy Adams says.

Operated by Oasis Network Inc, Hillary Court in Naenae will see up to 15 single males at a time housed and provided with wraparound social services to help them get back on their feet.

Ms Adams opened the facility and met residents today alongside Associate Social Housing Minister Alfred Ngaro and local MP Chris Bishop.

A new pilot programme is underway to help at-risk social housing tenants hold onto their tenancies, Social Housing Minister Amy Adams said today.

Under the Sustaining Tenancies Initiative, tenants with complex or serious needs who may be at risk of losing their tenancy will receive practical support from community providers to help get back on track.

An increase in the housing register underscores the importance of the Government’s social housing reform programme and its $344 million commitment to additional emergency housing places, Social Housing Minister Amy Adams says.

“We have a comprehensive social housing plan in place, and we’ve moved quickly to provide more emergency and social housing,” Ms Adams says.

The number of people and families seeking social housing on the Housing Register at the end of December was 4771, up 169 or about 3.7 per cent on the previous quarter.

Social Housing Minister Amy Adams has today welcomed data showing new help introduced by the Government is creating tangible support for struggling New Zealanders.

For the first time, the Ministry of Social Development’s quarterly benefit fact sheets have included figures on uptake of the Emergency Housing Special Needs Grant (SNG), introduced in July 2016.

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.