10 December 2015

Community housing partner endorsed by Auckland Council

Auckland Council has endorsed a recommendation from Panuku Development Auckland to enter into partnership with a community housing provider to manage and further develop its portfolio of 1,412 homes for older Aucklanders.

Auckland Development Committee Chair, Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse, says the preferred provider is a New Zealand-owned and operated organisation with an excellent track record in the sector.

“Partnering with an experienced community housing provider strengthens our ability to provide safe, secure and affordable housing for older Aucklanders.

“Council is committed to maintaining its role in housing for older persons. We are not stepping out of this area – we are making it stronger for the future.

“We have chosen a partner that knows the sector extremely well, prioritises the needs of older people and has sound commercial capability,” she says.

By 2030, about 200,000 New Zealanders will be aged 65 or older and unable to afford their own home.[i]

“This is a smart move to plan for the aging of ‘baby boomer’ Aucklanders and provide those that need our help with homes,” says the Deputy Mayor.

“The proposal will maintain our current level of older adult housing provision – both the number of units and levels of service – and improve the average quality of our existing stock.

“In addition, this partnership will allow us to access Government funding; to work with a provider who knows the sector intimately and to use our combined expertise to improve services to our older people as well as refurbish and further develop our units and villages,” she says.

In June 2015, council agreed to a new partnership model for housing for older persons, tasking Panuku Development Auckland with seeking out interested parties from the community housing sector and carrying out a request for proposal (RFP) process. Six providers submitted proposals and the recommended partner was endorsed by council’s Auckland Development Committee on 8 December.

This decision allows Panuku to progress a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which in turn will allow feasibility work, due diligence and an indicative development programme to be developed with the partner. The partnership will be formally announced when the MOU is finalised.

Public consultation on the proposal will also be carried out in early 2016.

ENDS

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