Chathams social housing receives boost

The Government will invest another $400,000 in new social housing on the Chatham Islands, Prime Minister John Key announced today.

“There are a number of low-income households in the Chatham Islands, but there is no state housing and only a limited supply of social rental housing. A definite need for affordable rental housing exists,” Mr Key said during a visit to the Chatham Islands.

Mr Key said Ngati Mutunga O Wharekauri Asset Holding Co Ltd had previously received a Government grant through the Māori Demonstration Partnership and, with commercial loans, had recently built five new homes for low-income families.

“The new $400,000 in grant money I am announcing today is to help achieve the aim of housing more of those in the Chathams who are in need.”

The Social Housing Unit (SHU), which was set up in 2011 to administer the Social Housing Fund, will work with housing providers on the Chatham Islands to find the right project to fund.

The new funding is separate to the SHU’s role in distributing the $104.1 million Social Housing Fund that was announced earlier in the year.

“Having seen what Ngati Mutunga O Wharekauri has done, I am confident the SHU and local housing providers will be able to find a way to put the $400,000 to good use for local residents,” Mr Key says.