Villages milestone 'just the beginning'

Over 150 households have been accommodated and moved through Canterbury’s three temporary accommodation villages since the first of them, at Kaiapoi, was set up in July last year, Housing Minister Phil Heatley said today.

“The villages, in Kaiapoi, Linwood and the latest at Rawhiti Domain, which opened in July this year, are delivering an additional 83 houses to the Christchurch housing market.

“They are a key part of the suite of solutions we’ve put in to help people who need accommodation while their homes, damaged in the earthquakes, are being repaired,” the Minister said.

“They are working very well for people who need a comfortable, warm and dry place to stay while essential repairs are done. The average length of stay is around 12 weeks.

“Because people are moving through relatively quickly, the milestone of 150 households is really just the beginning. There are over 70 households living in the villages at the moment and as the rebuild ramps up, we will see many more go through.

“There is a healthy waiting list already so we encourage people to contact the service as soon as possible, so they can forward-plan,” Mr Heatley said.

The villages were established by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Building and Housing Group. People in need of temporary accommodation support can access the villages via the Canterbury Earthquake Temporary Accommodation Service (CETAS).

Since its establishment, CETAS has helped over 2000 households resolve their temporary accommodation needs. More than 1400 of these households have received financial assistance to help with accommodation costs.