In 2019, as part of the Mayor’s Taskforce for Housing, the Dunedin City Council pulled together a housing summit.
It invited community housing providers, social service agencies and government departments. It also invited private property developers.
There were presentations by the Salvation Army and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, outlining a new model for public housing.
Having guaranteed long-term lease arrangements with the Crown, private developers and community housing providers were teaming up to increase the much-needed supply of affordable rentals. Russell Lund was there, and earlier this year the Suzanne Lund Community Loft Apartments were officially opened — developed privately, supported by the DCC and operated by the Salvation Army.
There are now 30 more units in the city than there would have been had that initial meeting not taken place.
Mr Lund has told anyone who will listen that it was an all too rare example of bipartisanship in action, where two very different world views — Lund’s and the DCC’s — came together with a common purpose.
The coalition government has been clear. It does not see it as its role to increase the supply of public housing. Responses need to be locally led.
So, we are going to need much more of this sort of thing to address the growing need in our communities.
The Warmer Kiwi Homes programme is another example. The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority provides targeted funding to help low-income households access insulation and clean heating devices, having both energy efficiency and positive health outcomes in mind.
The balance is still a barrier for some, so local funders (Otago Community Trust, Central Lakes Trust and the DCC) have chipped in to make it even more accessible.
The Cosy Homes Trust has supported this work through targeted outreach, which is best enabled at a grassroots level, and helping people navigate what is an overly complex bureaucratic system.
This collective effort — government agency, local council, public philanthropists and a not for profit — has supported positive social, environmental and economic wellbeing across the region.
Support comes in other forms, too. Presbyterian Support’s Energy Mate scheme helps people to save money by saving power.
The DCC’s eco-design adviser offers free advice on how best to make your home healthier.
Aukaha’s housing team runs several programmes from minor household repairs to healthy homes retrofitting.
The Otago Housing Alliance is a community-led effort, using a collective impact approach to improve housing in our region: quality, affordability and accessibility.
Born out of the Cosy Homes Trust, it accepts that we need to look at the bigger picture if we want our homes and neighbourhoods to promote wellbeing.
In expanding the brief beyond energy efficiency and healthy housing, we want to use research, innovation and advocacy to support more people to live happier and healthier lives.
The Alliance is a very small organisation supporting a much wider network: mana whenua, local government, housing providers, public health advocates, membership organisations, social services, academics, builders, architects and chimney sweeps.
Each of us recognises that together we can be more than the sum of our parts. But there’s always room for more, because this is an ‘‘all hands on deck’’ situation.
We also know we need to be more creative in how we cobble together the answers. Councils are under the pump as they address ageing infrastructure and growth-related pressure.
They may not be able to contribute financially as much as they’d like but they could, as the DCC is doing, look at the land that they own and see if there isn’t any that could be used more productively.
Similarly, philanthropic organisations should challenge themselves to see how they can best enable better housing outcomes, understanding that healthy, affordable and secure housing is one of the best contributors to our collective wellbeing.
This could range from directly investing in affordable housing developments through to ensuring the sustainability of community organisations supporting this kaupapa.
If there were simple solutions, the problems would have been solved by now.
By working together, collectively and creatively, we have a much better shot at getting it right for our community.
■Aaron Hawkins is leader of the Otago Housing Alliance.
