Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the Minister of Housing, Megan Woods have opened two new Salvation Army developments at Westgate and Flatbush, delivering 68 new public housing places for Aucklanders.
“This is another great example of community housing providers, in partnership with Government, delivering warm, dry, and healthy homes for more New Zealanders,” said Minister Woods.
“We’re seeking to address decades of under-funding of new housing stock and our public housing programme plays a key part in enabling more housing to be built.
“We’re under no illusions about the size of the challenge, and the best way to address the growing demand is to bring on more quality housing at pace.
“This progressive partnership with the Salvation Army shows how innovative solutions can help speed up delivery.
“Wearing my hat as energy as well as housing minister I’m happy to say that the homes were built using Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs), which reduce build time and costs, and have a far higher insulation value than traditional building products.”
Kaitiakitanga in Flat Bush – which comprises 10 one-bedroom units and 36 two-bedroom units – will add 46 new public housing places in Auckland. Around 85% of referrals for tenants to date are for households with dependent children.
Te Manaaki Tāngata in Westgate has 22 new public housing places, made up of two one-bedroom units and 20 two-bedroom units.
While much of the operating funding for the developments were provided via Tūapapa Kura Kāinga – the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, the projects got off to a quick start with initial funding from the Salvation Army and an impact investment through the Salvation Army Community Bond.
This was the first such bond arranged by Community Finance, an impact investment platform established in 2019, which is committed to driving significant growth in community housing.
These two developments follow an earlier Government/ Salvation Army partnership which delivered Te Hononga Tāngata, a 50 unit social housing development in Royal Oak, Auckland, in late 2019.
