Emergency Housing & Bond Bank
In 2002 Methodist Social Action initiated and funded a Social Well-being Research Project with the support of Community & Whanau. One clear need identified by this research was housing, especially the need for more affordable housing, more emergency housing for women and families, and 'supported interim housing.' Since 2000, we have seen home prices and weekly rents rise dramatically in the Nelson region, putting huge stress particularly on those with low-incomes. Many community groups now regularly work with a growing number of individuals and families in urgent housing need. NTHT agreed to be the umbrella organisation for donations and grants to support emergency/interim housing and a Bond Bank – it now coordinates this work. St. Vincent de Paul donated a caravan in 2004, sited at Tahuna Beach Holiday Park, to be used for emergency housing. In late 2007, the TBHP purchased a self-contained cabin, to be used as further emergency housing. The old caravan is soon to be replaced by a new cabin donated by Nelson Master Builders and partly built by students of the Boys College.
Definitions:
Emergency Housing – provision of short-term accommodation for transient individuals or families, and/or for those with urgent short-term housing needs. For the year ending 31/06/10 a total of 65 people used this accommodation in Nelson and stayed an average of ten days while they arranged permanent accommodation.
Supported Interim Housing – provision of medium-term accommodation and practical support to find and secure long-term accommodation.
Bond Bank – The Trust manages a small fund, initially provided by grants from the Fifeshire Foundation and George Brown Trust, to advance no-interest micro-loans for tenancy bonds to households who could not otherwise obtain a private tenancy. At 31/06/10 there were 27 bond bank loans outstanding. That's 27 families that have been helped secure private rental accommodation. Contact the Bond Bank 0800 266 325.
A number of agencies work together under a Memorandum of Understanding to coordinate Emergency Housing and the Bond Bank. These are: House 44, Nelson Night Shelter, Nelson Women's Centre, Salvation Army, Tahuna Beach Holiday Park, Victory Community Health Centre, Whakatu Marae, Women's Refuge, St Vincent de Paul, Family Start, and NTHT. Allocation to the Emergency Housing is through one of these agencies.
These agencies also work with people to help them become active in their community through work or volunteering. To aid this the Trust produced in December 2010 a new resource – Training, Vocational, Employment and Volunteering Agencies in Nelson (350KB PDF).