This article was first published in Touchstone in July 2019.
Tenants at Christchurch Methodist Mission's social housing accommodation in Hornby
Methodist parishes and missions have a long history of providing housing in Aotearoa New Zealand. Most of this housing was for older people, but in recent years with the increasing housing crisis throughout the country, this has expanded to include families and single people of all ages who are experiencing homeless.
The Housing Register since March 2017 – graph from the MSD website
There are over 11,000 households on the social housing register, more than double the number that was on this waiting list two years ago. These households includes families with children and each night they go to bed in either a house that is totally unsuitable for their needs, a car, shed, garage or on someone’s floor.
Members of the Methodist Alliance provide a range of housing services including:
Housing First – providing housing for people who are long term homeless and wrap around support for them to sustain their tenancy. On average most have been homeless for many years and they are assisted to access support for alcohol and drug dependency, mental health issues, medical issues, employment etc. Lifewise and Christchurch Methodist Mission are leading Housing First initiatives for people who are long-term homeless in Auckland, Rotorua, Blenheim and Christchurch.
Emergency Housing – people who present at Work & Income as homeless and emergency accommodation is arranged for them and support provided to secure permanent accommodation.
Transitional Housing – accommodation provided with wrap around support to find suitable long term housing.
Supported Youth Housing – accommodation provided for young people with wrap around social support services.
Social housing –people on the housing register are provided with accommodation and the Government subsidises the rental costs for the tenants. Airedale Property Trust, Wesley Community Action and the Christchurch Methodist Mission are registered as Community Housing Providers, which makes them eligible to receive the Income Related Rent Subsidy. The Government pays the difference between the rent a person can pay, based on 25% of their income, and the normal market rental rate. This makes accommodation more affordable and therefore accessible for those on low incomes.
Parishes are also responding to the housing crisis in a wide range of innovative ways. These include:
Parishes building social housing - Lotofale’ia Mangere Tongan Methodist Parish worked in partnership with Airedale Property Trust in the Matanikolo development. This was designed and built especially for Pasifika families who are currently living in crowded, unstable or unsuitable accommodation. The parish has been able to expand its social housing provision, especially for the elderly.
Parishes leasing land to the mission specifically for social housing development – Linwood Avenue Union Parish leased land to the Christchurch Methodist Mission where five relocatable homes were placed. Weteriana Courts also has space around each home and a communal area with a play area, picnic table and barbeque. The communal space helps foster healthy connections between the families and reduces social isolation. The families are provided with wrap around social support from Christchurch Methodist Mission to help them sustain their tenancies.
Parishes leasing their parsonage for social housing – Christchurch North Methodist Parish and St Albans Uniting Parish both lease their parsonages to the Christchurch Methodist Mission. Tenants from the social housing register pay an income-related rent and the government pays the income related rental subsidy to the Mission. The parishes receive an agreed rental from the Mission which provides a guaranteed income for the parish. The Mission provides wrap around support services to the tenants to support the tenancy and also to secure long-term housing. This means the parishes have no direct responsibility for managing the tenants and are able to utilise their resources to meet a significant need in their community.
Methodist groups providing housing for older people – Hamilton East Methodist Parish has a number of pensioner units which are rented at affordable rates to older people. This provides an income for the parish while at the same time meeting a need in the community for safe, secure, and affordable housing.
The Methodist Alliance is looking at possibilities of how we can work in a Connexional way to create more innovative solutions to the housing crisis. High level discussions are underway between representatives from the Methodist Church and the Anglican and Catholic Churches.
In response to an increasing number of parishes that have expressed an interest in how to use their resources to respond to the housing crisis, the Housing Community of Practice is considering the establishment of a social housing fund. This would allow a Methodist organisation providing social housing to access capital to develop and build new social housing. The Methodist organisation would contract with the Government and take people off the housing register. Tenancy management and wrap around social support services would be provided to the tenants by the Methodist social housing provider.
This would ensure that both the land and buildings stay in Methodist Church ownership and maintaining a Methodist presence in local communities, which may otherwise be lost.
If your parish has land which is either surplus to your parish’s need, or currently underutilised, and/or have significant financial resources, we encourage you to discuss options with the Methodist Alliance and ask how we can best use these resources. Please feel free to contact me or another Methodist Alliance person (ask your local mission who is involved).
Carol Barron, National Coordinator
03 375 0512 | 027 561 9164 | Carol@MethodistAlliance.org.nz