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Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett has today opened the Centennial Community Centre, which she hopes will become the heart of Berhampore as well as the refurbished Centennial Flats it is located in.

The Housing New Zealand (HNZ) Centennial Flats have undergone a $7 million upgrade to make them safer, warmer and healthier for the people who live in them. The community centre is the final part of the complex to be completed.

The Government has requested formal proposals from four respondents looking to purchase and manage social houses in Tauranga and Invercargill, Ministers Bill English and Paula Bennett say.

As announced last January, the Government proposes to transfer 1,000 to 2,000 Housing New Zealand Corporation houses and tenancies to registered Community Housing Providers.

The shortlisted respondents are the Pact Group for Invercargill, and Accessible Properties, Hapori Connect Tauranga and Kainga Community Housing Partners for Tauranga.

Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett has today announced details of the Government’s $2 million contribution to increasing the emergency housing supply in Auckland.

Specialist provider Emerge Aotearoa will provide 30 places for individuals or families, for a stay of up to 12 weeks.

“This means we can house at least a further 120 people each year, including parents with children, on top of the emergency housing that is already available with other community organisations,” says Mrs Bennett.

Increased spending on maintenance by Housing New Zealand’s is making its Waikato properties better places to live, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says.

Housing New Zealand (HNZ) spent $11.5 million on maintenance in Hamilton and the Waikato Region last year, an increase of $2.9 million since 2012.

“Ensuring vulnerable social housing tenants have homes that are healthy, safe, and suitable for their needs is a priority for this Government,” Mrs Bennett says.

The Government’s wide-ranging support for Christchurch has ensured the city’s housing market is nearing recovery five years on from the Canterbury earthquakes, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett and Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith said today.

“Housing has been one of the most complex and challenging problems arising from the Canterbury earthquakes with the loss of 10,500 homes,” the Ministers say.

Growing a strong and vibrant community housing sector that understands local needs is good for vulnerable New Zealanders, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says.

The Social Housing Reform (Transactions Mandate) Bill passed into law today.

As a Crown entity, Housing New Zealand (HNZ) can be directed to implement a Government policy, but cannot be directed to implement policy in a specific way. This means it would be difficult for the Government to direct HNZ to transfer specific properties.

Changes announced last year to discourage people from refusing reasonable social housing offers come into effect from today. 

“Too many people have been refusing offers of social housing properties without a good reason and this is delaying others from getting into homes that suit their needs,” Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says.

The December 2015 Social Housing Register shows that better understanding applicant’s particular needs is housing more vulnerable people, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says.

Today’s release of the latest quarterly figures show a decrease of 345 from the December 2014 Register to 4,619 applicants. Of this, 1,143 are already housed and are seeking to transfer to a different property. 

The December 2015 quarter also saw 1,760 new tenancies started, the most of any 2015 quarter.

A new safe house in Hamilton will help women and children escaping from family violence start to get back on their feet, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says.

The property, provided by Housing New Zealand for Waikato Women’s Refuge Te Whakaruruhau, was opened today and is well situated for medical services, supermarkets, public transport, parks and other community infrastructure.

It replaces a property first occupied by Te Wakaruruhau nearly 20 years ago that had become unsuitable for the refuge because of its location and configuration.

Newly built social housing units in West Auckland will ensure more vulnerable people can access healthy, modern housing while they need it, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says.

Mrs Bennett today opened 10 new units developed by VisionWest Community Trust at Triangle Road, Massey. The 30-bedroom development cost $4.3 million, which included $2 million in funding from the Government’s Social Housing Unit fund.

Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett and Salvation Army Territorial Commander Commissioner Robert Donaldson have dedicated a new social housing site in Royal Oak, Auckland.

As announced by the Government last week, more social housing from the community housing sector in Auckland is expected to deliver over 500 new places, with 87 places provided by The Salvation Army. 50 of these will be new one and two bedroom units built on the currently empty site in Royal Oak.

Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett and Salvation Army Territorial Commander Commissioner Robert Donaldson have announced the Government and The Salvation Army will work together to provide more social housing for vulnerable Aucklanders.

As announced by Mrs Bennett today, a request for more social housing from the community housing sector in Auckland is expected to deliver over 500 new places, with 87 places provided by The Salvation Army.

Community Housing Providers will deliver over 500 new social housing places in Auckland, well in excess of the 300 target, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says.

The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) will contract with five registered Community Housing Providers to deliver 508 new social housing places over the next three years. $10 million in up-front funding will be provided to support costs related to bringing the supply on stream.

Good morning, thank you for the opportunity to talk with so many of you from your outstanding organisation.

As the words, Habitat, and, Humanity, in your name rightly proclaim, you provide a range of solutions from affordable housing and rental subsidies to budgeting advice and home repair programmes for low income families.

You understand, wherever it’s possible, the importance of keeping the dream of home ownership alive.

To wherever possible help the hardest-pressed people in our society from dependency to independency.

The Minister Responsible for Housing New Zealand, Bill English, along with Social Housing Minister, Paula Bennett, are welcoming news that the massive programme to repair 5000 earthquake-damaged social housing stock in Christchurch has been reached ahead of schedule.

The 2010 and 2011 earthquakes damaged 95 percent of Housing New Zealand’s properties, affecting about 20,000 tenants across greater Christchurch.

Vulnerable New Zealanders are benefiting from continued growth in the community housing sector, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says.

The number of social housing tenancies with registered Community Housing Providers (CHPs) has now surpassed 300. CHPs have been eligible to house tenants with the Government’s Income Related Rent Subsidy since April 2014.

Ministers Bill English and Paula Bennett are pleased to announce the Government is now taking Expressions of Interest from Community Housing Providers (CHPs) to transfer social housing in Invercargill and Tauranga.

As announced by the Prime Minister in January, the Government’s Social Housing Reform Programme includes plans to transfer 1,000 to 2,000 Housing New Zealand Corporation houses and tenancies to registered CHPs over the next year.

P-users are delaying vulnerable people from getting access to social housing and have forced Housing New Zealand to demolish 14 contaminated homes in three years, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says.

 “Last year Housing New Zealand (HNZ) decontaminated nearly 230 meth infected homes costing taxpayers $2.3-million,” she says.

“We will not tolerate any meth use in HNZ properties,” Mrs Bennett says.

Changes to discourage people from refusing reasonable social housing offers will help house vulnerable New Zealanders sooner, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says.

“Some people on the social housing register are unrealistically picky when they are offered a property,” Mrs Bennett says.

“Every year people are refusing offers of hundreds of social housing properties without a good reason and this is holding up others from getting into warm, dry and adequate homes.

New Zealanders have beaten stiff competition from Australia, picking up multiple awards at a ceremony celebrating excellence in community housing this week.

Housing New Zealand Corporation (HNZC) and VisionWest Chief Executive Officer Lisa Woolley were honoured at the Australasian Housing Institute’s 2015 Professional Excellence in Housing Awards held in Perth on Wednesday.

The proposed transfer of approximately 1,500 Housing NZ Corporation houses and tenancies in Tauranga and Invercargill to registered Community Housing Providers will shortly move to the next stage, Ministers Bill English and Paula Bennett say.

As announced by the Prime Minister in January, the Government’s Social Housing Reform Programme includes plans to transfer 1,000 to 2,000 Housing NZ Corporation houses and tenancies to registered Community Housing Providers over the next year.

The latest Social Housing Register figures show the results of working closely with applicants and supporting their individual needs, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says.

The September 2015 Social Housing Register quarterly figures, released today, has decreased by 1,132 from the September 2014 quarter to 4,467 – a 20% decrease.

More vulnerable New Zealanders will be able to access emergency housing when they need it, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says.

The Government will invest $2 million in non-government organisations (NGOs) in Auckland for a short-term emergency housing response to help address the shortage of emergency housing places.