Community Group Housing (CGH) is a service provided by Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities where we work with a wide range of organisations that provide residential and non-residential community housing for:
- people who experience mental or psychiatric illness
- people who have physical and intellectual disabilities
- residential alcohol and drug services
- women, men and children seeking refuge
- families (including those who need emergency housing)
- support for youth/children at risk; or
- prisoner reintegration
The CGH team work with community groups to ensure secure sustainable housing solutions that meet the needs of the clients or customer groups they support.
Once community groups are housed the CGH team continue this support through regular property visits, meeting with stakeholders and exchanging key information about their tenancy.
The CGH portfolio
As at February 2020, CGH manage 1,496 properties nationally which is made up of 1,428 residential tenancies and 68 non-residential leases.
The portfolio consists of properties of a bespoke design which are often heavily modified to suit the customers' needs. Over half of the portfolio is made up of 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom properties with the remainder being 4-, 5- and above. The largest property in the CGH portfolio has 18 bedrooms.
Eligibility criteria
When a community group makes an enquiry with Kāinga Ora for assistance, they are taken through the eligibility criteria to apply for a CGH property and if eligible, the application process.
To be eligible to apply for a home with CGH, groups must be:
- contracted to provide residential services by another government agency
- accredited, audited and monitored by a government agency to provide residential services
- a registered charity, incorporated society or a government funded provider and;
- have sufficient funding to operate and afford market rent, have the appropriate governance process and management structure to support the service.
To find out more about the eligibility criteria call 0800 801 601.
How to apply
Once eligibility has been confirmed a CGH representative will contact the community group to go through the housing application either face-to-face or over the phone.
To find out more about applying call 0800 801 601.
Rent support scheme
The Rent Support Scheme is a subsidy intended to support those community groups who demonstrate that they cannot meet Kāinga Ora’s market rent charge from any income they receive from sources that include:
- components of government contracts specifically for rent
- contributions to rent from residents and/or service users
- donations or grants specifically for rent.
There is an expectation that community groups work towards paying market rent as this is not a long term solution however, where it is determined that groups cannot work towards paying market rent, they will continue to be eligible to apply for rent support subsidy and will not be disadvantaged.
Who can get Rent Support?
The amount of subsidy, and who can receive it, depends on the type of service provided:
- services providing support for people in residential supported living situations may be eligible for Rent Support of 70% to cover the shortfall between the Kāinga Ora rent charged and the income that community groups receive from funding contracts and service users.
- services providing support for family, welfare and respite services (both residential and non-residential) may be eligible for Rent Support of 90% to cover the shortfall between the rent charged by Kāinga Ora and the amount that community groups receive from funding contracts, donations, grants and service users.
Rent support is not available for:
- services providing support for people in independent living situations.
It does not cover the costs of providing office space or staff accommodation.
What do we take into account when we calculate Rent Support?
Depending on the service provided, there are a number of factors taken into account when we calculate Rent Support:
- government funding received for rent
- rent contributions from service users
- donations and grants specifically for rent
- the number of bedrooms in the property
- the number of clients
- the number of bedrooms used as office space or for staff accommodation.
To find out more call 0800 801 601.
Welcome Packs
We are currently updating these, so you'll need to contact us (external link)if you require a copy.
More information
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Oranga Tamariki - Ministry for Children(external link) - Our people are passionate about caring for kids and supporting families. We are the single biggest employer of social workers in the country.
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Ministry of Health(external link) - The Government's principal advisor on health and disability: improving, promoting and protecting the health of all New Zealanders.
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Tenancy Services(external link) - We want everyone to have safe, healthy, durable homes and buildings, supporting MBIE's goal to grow New Zealand for all.