Auckland rental homes open up for those on the waiting list for subsidised housing

Community housing providers have opened two new developments providing subsidised rentals to in need tenants. Photo / Chris Loufte

Two new housing developments offering cheaper rentals to south Auckland families doing it tough have officially opened.

The Mangere development includes eight units owned by the Methodist Church, while the second Otahuhu development is owned by the Community of Refuge Trust.

The eight new Mangere units add to 22 existing homes on the Hall Ave site, built at the request of the Lotofale'ia Tongan Methodist Church.

The new units are all two bedroom homes in which tenants pay the equivalent of 25 per cent of their income towards the cost of the rent, while Housing NZ pays the balance.

Two of the new units are designed for elderly people with limited mobility.

This has allowed one 88-year-old woman to transfer from a state home into a new unit so she can live close to her whānau, who are existing tenants in one of the earlier houses.

Ratenesh Sharma, from Airedale Property Trust, which manages Methodist Church-owned properties, said seven of the eight new homes had already been allocated to tenants.

"There is big demand for the properties straight away," he said.

The new rentals comes as some uncertainty hangs over the new Labour-led Government's approach to co-operating with community housing providers.

There were 3609 people on Auckland's waiting list for access to subsidised state or community houses in June, up from 3286 at the end of March.

Associate Housing and Urban Development Minister Jenny Salesa was in Auckland today to preside over the opening of the new Mangere and Otahuhu developments.

Associated Urban Development Minister Jenny Salesa opened two new community housing sites in south Auckland. Photo / Supplied

Minister of Housing and Urban Development Phil Twyford was also expected to help open five more community houses in west Auckland, owned by the VisionWest Community Trust.

However, the Methodist Church's Mangere development was planned under the previous National Government.

Sharma said Airedale is yet to negotiate a new community housing development deal with the Labour-led Government but is hopeful two projects are close to being signed off.

Airedale manages about 104 community houses, including 56 in Auckland.

The Community of Refuge Trust manages 139 Auckland properties, while VisionWest manages 85.

Sharma said high house prices in Auckland made it hard for community housing providers to buy and develop new housing to be offered as subsidised rentals.

"[However] the Methodist church does own a lot of land around the place and that is why we are able to do these kind of projects," he said.

And, despite the challenges, Sharma said it was rewarding work to help families doing it tough financially to live together in warm and safe houses.

"It feels really good to be able to make a difference to what the country needs in terms of housing."