Latest news with #socialhousing
RNZ News
17 hours ago
- General
- RNZ News
63 Kāinga Ora tenancies terminated after government clamps down on bad behaviour
Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says it is a "privilege" to live in taxpayer funded social housing (file photo). Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka has lauded a government directive to crack down on abusive Kāinga Ora tenants as a success, citing improved tenant behaviour. Potaka said in a release that in Kāinga Ora's Sustaining Tenancies Framework, which was ended in March last year, had effectively allowed tenants to stay in a Kāinga Ora home regardless of abusive or disruptive activity. "Living in a taxpayer-funded social house is a privilege. The vast majority of social housing tenants are respectful of their home and courteous to their neighbours, but unfortunately they are let down by a small minority who threaten and abuse their neighbours or wilfully damage their home," Potaka said. In the past 10 months, 63 Kāinga Ora tenancies had been terminated as a result of abusive, threatening, or persistently disruptive behaviour, Potaka said. There had also been a 600 percent increase in formal warnings when compared to the previous financial year, with 1463 issued in 2024/25 so far, Potaka said. "Around 80 percent of warnings - known as section 55a notices - have been first notices and 18 percent were second notices. Third notices, which can trigger the end of a tenancy, made up just 2 percent of warnings. "I'm also pleased to see that the time taken to address complaints to Kāinga Ora about tenant behaviour has reduced significantly. In January 2024 it took an average of 60 days to take action in response to a complaint. In April 2025 it had reduced to less than 12 days," he said. This data showed that tenants were taking the warnings seriously, Potaka said. "The government is taking an approach that ultimately benefits everyone involved, by reducing negative behaviour through formal warnings and following through with real consequences in the rare circumstances that behaviour doesn't improve." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
ABC News
18 hours ago
- General
- ABC News
Social housing tenants thrive five years after Vic laws help many to get a pet
It was a cold, wet night as Juliana huddled with her three children in their makeshift home — a tent at a campsite in regional Victoria. Talking with her kids that evening, with the temperature just 5 degrees Celsius, she made them a promise. "The tent was sprinkled with snow and it was really cold," Juliana said. The family were left without a permanent place to live after being forced to flee their Melbourne home. They ended up in north-east Victoria and spent more than a year camping in a forest, staying in caravan parks and with friends. Several years on, the family has a permanent place to live through social housing and Juliana has delivered on her promise. Bobika the Kelpie, or Bobby as he is affectionately known, has joined the family. "Suddenly you have got a new place, a new house with a backyard, and you're feeling safe," Juliana said. The story of Bobby, Juliana and her family is one of 12 featured in the 2025 calendar initiative run by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing. Pets at Our Place was introduced in 2024 to celebrate the positive stories and lives of public and community housing residents in Victoria. "It's an opportunity for people to talk in a positive way about the role pets play in supporting them to stay healthy, active, involved and engaged in their communities," said Danny O'Kelly, a spokesperson from the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing. The calendars, which double as a resource with useful phone numbers and email addresses, are distributed to tenants. The initiative has been such a success, entries are now open for the 2026 calendar. This year coincides with the five-year anniversary of Victorian legislation allowing renters, including those in public housing, to keep pets in rental properties with the landlord's written consent. As well as cats and dogs, the calendar stars unexpected pets like Harriet the sheep. Harriet now calls Hamilton in Victoria's south-west home after being rescued as a lamb by Jennifer and her children Sky-la and Harper. "She is part of the family now," Jennifer said. "The kids love playing with her in the yard." Mr O'Kelly said Harriet was a great example of what could happen when pets were introduced to the family home. "I was really chuffed when I saw Harriet the sheep featuring in January and the impact that Harriet has had on that family," he said. For Sara Winter, walking into her brand-new social housing property in Melbourne "felt like Christmas". She and daughter Leanna had experienced homelessness, including time spent sleeping in a car and emergency housing. "I remember feeling so very, very grateful." After gaining stable accommodation through social housing, Ms Winter's focus turned to creating a home for her daughter. So rabbits Ronald and Runner soon joined the family. "They are like our family," Ms Winter said. "After going through such an experience of not having a house, it was just perfect for us to have pets." Leanna said Ronald and Runner helped her settle into the new home. "I used not to really like this house very much, especially when we moved in, because it was just so empty and plain to me," she said. "But now, I feel like this really is my home thanks to the rabbits. "The bunnies are like siblings to me; Runner is my sister and Ronald is my brother."
The Guardian
a day ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Treat social housing as critical infrastructure to unlock billions, says Peabody boss
The head of one of the UK's biggest non-profit housing providers has called for social housing to be classed as 'critical national infrastructure', like roads and energy networks, allowing for billions of pounds in much needed extra investment. In an interview with the Guardian, the chair of housing association Peabody, Ian McDermott, said it should be reclassified by the Treasury to allow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, to commit extra funds without breaking her fiscal rules. His intervention comes as 11 of the country's major providers wrote in a letter to housing minister Matthew Pennycook ahead of next month's spending review that the government had inherited 'the worst housing situation in living memory'. The housing secretary, Angela Rayner, is said to be fighting for a larger settlement in the spending review, planned for 11 June, amid dissatisfaction over funding for affordable and social housing. McDermott warned that 90% of current spending on social housing was on subsidies and temporary accommodation, rather than bricks and mortar, the reverse of what had been the case in the 1970s. 'For too long, social housing has been seen as a subsidy and a cost rather than an asset and critical national infrastructure for the country,' he said. There are 14 areas of national life currently listed as critical infrastructure, including defence, data, energy, food, health and transport – but not housing. If housing was included, it would make it easier for spending on it to be excluded from normal fiscal rules, as it would be categorised as investment in infrastructure and would not count against government debt. The letter from London-based associations including L&Q, Peabody, Clarion Housing and Notting Hill Genesis said: 'It is important to be honest about the scale of the problems and the solutions needed. You have inherited the worst housing situation in living memory. There is a housing emergency, with London at the epicentre, and new supply in the capital has already fallen off a cliff.' It said that there were more households in London on a social housing waiting list than double the entire population of Cambridge. The temporary housing crisis and its effects on people's lives was 'almost impossible to articulate', the letter said, warning it was costing councils in London alone almost £4m a day. But it said changes to government rent policy since 2016 had taken almost £6.6bn out of the sector, which could have been invested in new and improved homes. 'By the end of the parliament affordable housing completions will have fallen to the lowest levels since the second world war without urgent and specific interventions for London,' it said. Shelter and National Housing Federation have suggested about 90,000 social homes a year would be needed to hit the government's manifesto target of 1.5m new homes, at a cost of about £11.8bn each year. But the investment is estimated to support almost 140,000 jobs and generate significantly higher economic output, breaking even within three years. McDermott, who takes over chairing the G15 group of London's leading housing associations from June, said the 1.5m homes target was 'very stretching' but the sector could play its part in achieving it. 'We own land that could potentially build 20,000 homes. Can we build it? Yes, we can. It is definitely possible. There is an issue about workforce and about skills. But can we bring about that generational change? Yeah, we can,' he said. 'But we need the government to be sympathetic and supportive of our asks.' McDermott said the economic case for investment in housing was 'unarguable'. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'The social case is unarguable. It's national infrastructure because if you look at what makes contented, thriving communities, at the core of those things is decent housing. And unless you recognise it as an essential element to a productive Britain and a thriving Britain and a contented Britain, then actually you're going to miss the point.' The housing ombudsman recently warned of a 'simmering anger at poor housing conditions' which he said could boil over into social tension, with a 474% increase in complaints about substandard living conditions since 2019/20. Richard Blakeway said it was 'neither fanciful nor alarmist' to suggest the growing anger at housing conditions could become 'social disquiet', saying the 'shock of Grenfell Tower and Awaab Ishak's death resonate still'. He said there had been a 'really serious fracturing of trust, which in some cases is irreparable,' with housing providers. McDermott said that he understood the anger and that the sector had to do better, but said it was wrong to say providers did not care. 'England has some of the oldest housing in Europe and the ombudsman is right to say that our not-for-profit sector is under intense pressure. Looking after residents' homes well is our top priority and needs to be funded through rental income,' he said. 'This is heavily regulated and was subject to government-imposed cuts for five out of seven years, which eroded our capacity to invest. As a sector, we're catching up but with inflation and the cost of living crisis it has been a perfect storm.' Ministers are facing increased pressure to unlock more funds for housing in the runup to next month's spending review. In a speech at an event in London on Saturday, Andy Burnham, the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, was to call for a timetable by which time more new social homes were being built than sold off, calling housing 'the single biggest cause of Britain's modern malaise'. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: 'We've taken immediate action fix the housing crisis we've inherited and kickstart the biggest expansion to social and affordable housing in a generation. This included, they said, £800m for affordable homes, and changes to right to buy, with a proposal for a long-term rent deal for social home providers to provide certainty on income.
BBC News
a day ago
- Business
- BBC News
Stroud man leaves Grade II listed house to homeless charity
A three-bedroom house generously left to a homeless charity could be ready for a family to move in by Christmas, staff Guinness gifted his three-bedroom, Grade II listed home in Stroud, Gloucestershire, to Emmaus when he died aged 81 in Watson, from the local branch of Emmaus, said the charity was "incredibly grateful" and "proud to honour his wish to provide a safe, stable home for a family in need".His close friend of 11 years, Rose Niland, said he was a "quirky" and "lovely" man whose eccentric ways have "left a big hole in the community". Ms Niland said: "He was quite distinctive because he's 6ft three tall and would arrive [at church] with his organ music in his famous supermarket carrier bag."At a carol service, he swang back on the two legs of his chair, and because he was so tall, he caught fire on one of the candles."It's quite Monty Python, but that was just him."She said she went to his home to check he was OK after the carol service and from then on they became good friends."He was extremely clever and had his own quirky ways of doing things," she said. "He was a lovely man, he's left a big hole in the community."He told me long before he died that he was going to leave his house to Emmaus. He knew a lot of people sleeping rough." Emmaus said the gift would enable it to start supporting families with social housing, offering not just a home, but long-term receiving the keys in 2022, the charity began March, a team from estate agent Mack Residential raised more than £23,000 for the work by completing a 220-mile cycle challenge from Cheltenham to April, a team from Ringway Infrastructure Services volunteered their time to clear the garden, helping prepare the site for renovation Watson said: "Support from local individuals and businesses, whether it's donations, fundraising, hands-on help or assistance with capital building projects, will make all the difference in getting the house ready so a family can move in before Christmas this year."
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Renovation of social home in Blackrock cost local council €200,000 to bring back into use
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council spent more than €200,000 bringing a vacant social home in Blackrock, south Dublin back into use last year. The local authority said it spent €503,142 on 'three major refurbishment properties' to re-let in 2024. This included the property in Blackrock, which was built in 1957 and had the same tenant for 63 years. A unit in Glasthule, built in 1934 with the same tenant for 39 years, cost €146,414. The other property was in Dún Laoghaire, constructed in 1932, had same tenant for 49 years, and cost €138,581. 'They were all major refurbishments due to the condition of the properties when they were handed back to the Council,' a spokeswoman for the council said. READ MORE 'One required an existing extension to be demolished and rebuilt, all required works such as electrical rewiring upgrade works, energy upgrades works, insulation works, external roof works, full new kitchen installations and replastering of internal roofs and walls.' [ Intimidation in a Dublin suburb, and the derelict house being used as stables Opens in new window ] The Department of Housing and Local Government said it is committed to supporting local authorities implementing an asset management ICT (information and communications technology) system to allow for 'strategic and informed planned maintenance work programmes' supported by stock condition surveys. 'This approach will ensure that homes are maintained on an ongoing basis and not only maintained at the time of vacancy in some cases after a significant period of time,' it said. 'This will result in less works required on re-let, less costs associated and ensure homes are turned around as quick as possible.' The Programme for Government commits to introducing a new voids programme, to implement long-term strategic reforms and mandate local authorities to establish voids frameworks to improve the turnaround of vacant social housing units. However, the Department said there is 'no set time frame in place' for the new programme. Void is the term given to when tenants vacate houses or flats, either transferring to somewhere more suitable or leaving to purchase their own property. The death of a tenant or a marital breakdown can also result in a void unit. [ Elderly residents of Dublin 8 complex still feel 'unsafe' despite installation of security gate Opens in new window ] Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, which covers Blackrock, Dundrum, Dún Laoghaire, Sandyford, Killiney, Shankill and Stillorgan, said it re-tenanted 111 properties last year as part of what it would consider to be 'normal re-let processes'. The average cost per property was €31,190. 'The length of time a property remains vacant depends on the condition of the property when it is returned to the council and the amount of information required to complete the allocation process,' it added. 'Every effort is being made to ensure properties are tenanted as quickly as possible. In 2025, re-let works have been completed on 39 properties to date at an average cost of €17,580.' The council's average re-let time for vacant properties in 2023 was 23 weeks. Dublin City Council said the average cost of refurbishing void units in 2024 was €44,000. It said when a unit becomes vacant it allows two weeks for tenants to remove any personal belongings, a 10- to 16-week period to revamp the property as well as a two-week period to allow a new tenant to inspect the property and move in. Fingal County Council said it refurbished and brought back into use 79 voids, excluding energy efficiency retrofit works, at a total cost of €1.7 million (or an average of €21,519 per unit). The average re-let period was 33 weeks. South Dublin County Council said it allocated 184 re-let properties at an average turnaround time of 20.64 weeks last year. Taoiseach Micheál Martin hit out at local authorities for the delay in releasing vacated properties to those on waiting lists in the Dáil last month. Mr Martin said local authorities take 'too long to release a home that has been vacated'. 'It can take sometimes months or a year for the local authority fill the same house again, and they cite all sorts of reasons, and it's not good enough,' he said. 'And now they're looking for more and more grants to fill those voids.' He said those homes 'should be filled fairly quickly, within a week or two of a house being vacated, unless there's some structural issue' but added that the majority of cases did not involve structural issues.
