CHA News 2011 - March 4

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HOUSING HELP IN TIMES OF EMERGENCY

First and foremost I am sure I speak on behalf of everyone, wherever we happen to be, in expressing utmost sympathy for all those directly affected by the tragedy caused by the Christchurch earthquake.

CHA has been in regular contact with CHA Council member Annette Sutherland, of Christchurch's Comcare Trust and have relayed messages to other CHA members in Canterbury, including Agender Christchurch, the Beckenham Community Housing Trust, Comcare Trust, Kakakura Health Services, Prisoners Aid & Rehabilitation Society of Canterbury, Stepping Stone Trust, Tenants Protection Ass.(Chch) Inc, The Housing for Women Trust, The Salvation Army – Canterbury, Habitat for Humanity Christchurch, Home and Family Christchurch and Housing for Women Trust. 

In terms of immediate housing need, the primary Government website is www.housinghelp.govt.nz 

In association with this, we have as of this afternoon received the following message to distribution from Housing New Zealand: "No doubt you and those in your organisation have been deeply moved by the terrible devastation from the quake in Christchurch. As an organisation with access to housing, you may wish to help. You may have heard that the Minister for Housing, Phil Heatley, announced last Thursday that Housing New Zealand Corporation has been tasked with the role of coordinating offers of accommodation help from around New Zealand on behalf of Government. We will be working to match these offers with people in and from Christchurch who need emergency housing through the website at  www.housinghelp.govt.nz

The message continues: If your organisation has accommodation available then please register your properties at this website. Alternatively, if you wish to register your properties by phone or have any questions, then you can call free on  0800 HELP 00 (0800 435 700). Similarly if you receive enquiries from Christchurch people requiring accommodation please also direct them to this website or phone number.

Please also note the Government has agreed to draw down $7.5 million from the Community Response Fund Contingency to provide one-off grants to support community-based social services as they deal with the aftermath of the quake. We have informed Christchurch members about this and also about a two-question survey being conducted by MSD's Family and Community Services to help gauge resilience within the social services sector.

For anyone wanting to make donations, two main sites are www.christchurchearthquakeappeal.govt.nz (via Westpac) and, as featured on the CHA homepage, the Red Cross Earthquake Appeal at www.redcross.org.nz/donate

Housing New Zealand has been posting earthquake relief information for Housing New Zealand tenants only on its website. CHA remains on standby to receive information from HNZ about relevant efforts or areas for coordination around the earthquake response.

It's at times like these that we most need to look after and support each other - aroha tetahi ki tetahi.

Best wishes,
David McCartney
director@communityhousing.org.nz

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Update on the CHA Conference & emerging Doorways 'campaign'

With our fourth national Conference happening in little over a fortnight's time, CHA's small team is working flat out to make the event a success.

We now have dedicated 'placeholder' sections on the CHA website for both the Conference and for our associated Doorways campaign - both of which are having content added week by week. 

We currently have more than 90 Registrations for the Conference, and have places for another 30 people - be in quick! You can register right up until the week before the Conference - see the side panel on www.communityhousing.org.nz for Registration details.

The principle we're working to on the campaign front is that the Conference will act as the launchpad and we'll continue to roll out new material throughout the whole of 2011 as and when new themes, opportunities and focal points arise.

The Mt Victoria Inner City Festival provided an opporutnity last weekend, Saturday 26 February, for spreading the word with CHA running an information stall that included helping to promote the local work of the Wellington Housing Trust and Habitat for Humanity.

For a full run-down on the ideas we used to engage people at the Festival - with lots of photos - please visit the page we have published under our Doorways section.

Member news from around the motu

MAORI HOUSING

• Last Friday, 25 February, CHA's Māori caucus members - Sheryl Connell, Vicky George and Tiopira Rauna - held a hui with National Maori Housing Conference delegates Fred Sadler and Kara George around 'next steps' for advancing the kaupapa of Māori housing.

• This hui was hosted by the Houhanga Rongo Trust at the Awhi Whanau house, Otara. The day began with a briefing from Henry Broughton of the Office of the Auditor General on the progress of the performance audit on the effectiveness of responses by state agencies to Māori housing needs and demand. A further opportunity will be given for feedback on the report that is being drafted before it is tabled in Parliament in June. Further updates from this hui will follow!

HAWKES BAY HOUSING

• On the same day CHA's executive officer David McCartney caught up with a number of CHA members at the Hawkes Bay Housing Forum where he gave a brief overview of developments at CHA and within the wider sector.

• Congratulations goes to CHA member Whatever it Takes Trust who have started building their 10-bed residential care facility on rural land at Riverbend Rd just outside of Napier. David visited the site and witnessed the passion and innovation of Doug Banks and the WIT team. We look forward to sharing some updates from them with CHA members in the coming months.

FALENUI - PACIFIKA HOUSING FONO

• A fono for launching “Falenui”, a grass roots response to Homelessness in South Auckland, will be held on Wednesday 16 March. The venue is the Pukapuka Community Centre, Canning Cres, Mangere. This will be followed by a series of meetings with Pacifika organisations that potentially have the capacity to provide housing or currently provide housing and wish to showcase their successes. To RSVP or find out more please call or email Elaine F Lolesio (09) 2756661 etxn 201, housing@montececilia.org.nz

TENANCY COORDINATOR POSITION

• Monte Cecilia Housing Trust has is seeking to recruit a part-time Tenancy Coordinator. Applications for the position close on Friday 25 March. A position description with further details can be obtained from Trust Executive David Zussmann, davidzussman@montececilia.org.nz or Trust Practice Manager Jeanne Warmington, jeanne@montececilia.org.nz

Latest information on policy shifts

SOCIAL HOUSING REFERENCE GROUP

• The Department of Building and Housing has appointed a Social Housing Reference Group to help test and discuss issues and options for the future delivery of social and affordable housing in New Zealand.

• The Social Housing Reference Group represents the interests of diverse range of community and social housing providers, NGOs, the building and construction sector, and the finance sector. It is supported by senior officials from the Department of Building and Housing, the Ministry of Social Development, the Treasury and Housing New Zealand Corporation.

• Its membership comprises of:
  
  Sam Knowles (Chair), former Chief Executive of Kiwibank
  
  Sacha McMeeking, General Manager Strategy and Influence of Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu
  
  Simon Challis, Chief Executive of Ryman Healthcare; Mark McGuiness, Managing Director of Willis Bond and Co
  
  David McLean, Chief Executive of Westpac Institutional Banking
  
  David Halsey, General Manager of Fletcher Residential
  
  Major Campbell Roberts, Director of the Parliamentary and Social Policy Unit of the Salvation Army
  
  Diane Robertson, Auckland City Missioner
  
  Lisa Woolley, Chief Executive of Vision West and Council member of Community Housing Aotearoa
  
  Pauline Winter, Chair of the National Advisory Council on the Employment of Women and Executive Director of the Pasifika Education Centre.
   

NOVEMBER CABINET PAPER & HSAG SUBMISSIONS RELEASED VIA DBH WEBSITE

• Without any fanfare, the social housing page of the DBH website now includes, as of last month, a link to a pdf of the Cabinet response (3.1MB, 41 pages) to recommendations made by the Housing Shareholders Advisory Group (HSAG) as well as a document containing 23 of the submissions made to the HSAG report (2.8MB, 85 pages) "Home and Housed".

• Both sets of information are available from the DBH website's page about the HSAG report on and were the subject of requests for information made under the Official Information Act. The submissions that were released were:
  
  1. Accessible Properties New Zealand
  2. Age Concern New Zealand
  3. Auckland Community Housing Trust
  4. Auckland District Council
  5. Bays Community Housing Trust
  6. Cement & Concrete Association of New Zealand
  7. Community Housing Aotearoa
  8. Community of Refuge Trust
  9. Cosmica Oosting
  10. Easy Access Housing
  11. Kim Baker
  12. Monte Cecilia Housing Trust
  13. Nelson Tasman Housing Trust
  14. New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services
  15. New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
  16. Queenstown Lakes District Council
  17. Ralph O’Hara
  18. Statistics New Zealand
  19. The Methodist Mission
  20. Vision West
  21. Waikato District Health Board
  22. Waitakere City Council
  23. Waitakere Housing Call to Action

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