New social housing units in Canterbury

Social Housing Unit funding is to provide 25 new housing units for vulnerable people living in Christchurch.

Housing Minister Phil Heatley today announced the distribution of over $2 million of SHU funding earmarked for Canterbury.

“These new units will help vulnerable Christchurch people who need help to find suitable housing,” he said.

The largest grant, of $1.3 million, has gone to the Comcare Charitable Trust and will support a total project cost of $2.8 million to develop 20 single-person flats in four housing communities throughout Christchurch.

Comcare is a large provider of mental health and addiction support services. It provides long-term social housing for people severely affected by mental illness who, while they are able to live relatively independently, do not thrive in large complexes.

The other grant, of $0.75 million, will go to Accessible Properties NZ Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of IHC, to support a total project cost of $1.8 million to build five units in Sydenham: three two-bedroom units and two three-bedroom units.

This housing will target Christchurch people who have intellectual disability, head injury, mental health issues, or people who are socially disadvantaged such as refugees or homeless people.

The Social Housing Unit was set up last year as a key part of recent Government initiatives in social housing. It aims to meet the growing need for social and affordable housing by allocating funding and forming partnerships with non-government housing providers that provide social and affordable housing.

The SHU had a total of $37.3 million to distribute in the current financial year. It has already announced the funding distribution for the Growth, Niche, Māori and Rural segments.