Short Summary: Housing Reserve Fund Changes
Issue Overview:
- Nelson City Council is considering changes to the Housing Reserve Fund to potentially broaden its purpose to include support for vulnerable housing projects, in addition to its current focus on social and affordable housing.
Options:
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Option 1: Retain the current approach, focusing the Housing Reserve Fund solely on supporting partners to deliver social and affordable housing solutions.
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Option 2: Broaden the purpose of the Housing Reserve Fund to also support vulnerable housing projects, such as accommodations for the highest need residents, including potential developments like a night shelter.
Public Opinion:
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Option 1: Supporters of maintaining the current approach argue that it effectively delivers social and affordable housing and worry that broadening the fund's scope could dilute its impact and hasten the depletion of resources. They emphasize the importance of focusing on permanent housing solutions and suggest that the responsibility for vulnerable housing should primarily rest with central government, not the local council.
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Option 2: Proponents of broadening the fund's purpose highlight the urgent need for safe and secure housing for the most vulnerable members of the community. They advocate for innovative and sustainable housing solutions that integrate with broader urban and environmental planning. Supporters believe that expanding the fund's scope will enhance community safety and well-being, and suggest exploring public/private partnerships to increase the economic viability of housing projects.
Recommendation:
Given the strong community support for both maintaining the current focus and broadening the fund's scope, a balanced approach may be advisable. The council could consider a phased expansion of the Housing Reserve Fund's purpose, initially integrating targeted vulnerable housing projects while continuing to prioritize long-term social and affordable housing solutions. This approach would allow the council to address immediate needs without compromising the fund's long-term goals. Continuous monitoring and community engagement will be crucial to ensure the fund meets its expanded objectives effectively and sustainably.
Comments
| Comment | Point ID |
|---|---|
| As council staff have previously stated, this is not core business and should not be funded by council. | 28.5 |
| Please encourage land use for tiny homes - set good laws allowing that. They are perfect for areas that in 50 years may not be habitable due to climate change etc. | 54.5 |
| I do not have a view on this issue. | 72.5 |
| Very disappointed to hear the council has not only supported the housing development up the Maitai Valley but has even allocated $24 million in funding. This is a disgrace considering a huge number of people were against this development and also because the council is always crowing about reducing rates. Just shows that the council will do what it likes despite the views of ratepayers, so this long term plan survey will also be a waste of time as it will not be heeded but councillors elected by the ratepayers. | 77.11 |
| i think the housing going ahead at the moment is fantastic, especially social housing. | 81.5 |
| Totally agree that more support is needed for vulnerable to provide housing. | 114.4 |
| Build/re use/adapt for vulnerable housing/or extreme weather events/earthquakes.Build in parks, Queens Gardens rather than City.Rebuild of psychiatric care service, cutbacks here cause very vulnerable homeless and without follow up and residential care/support. | 155.5 |
| Social housing can include housing for the vulnerable | 175.4 |
| This concept is not working in todays marketoriented reality. Forget it. | 223.4 |
| unsure | 275.5 |
| What the xxxx is this survey? Provide details if you want me to vote on something. Broaden doesn't mean "increase spending" I'm in favour of spending more to support vulnerable people. Please select this option for me. | 297.5 |
| Best to leave this in the hands of organistions with expertise. Otherwise council inadvertently removes talent from the private / NGO sector. | 352.4 |
| Its often very hard for people to find homes in Nelson region. As a result more have to live further out and as a result there is urban sprawl, more congestion, and homes being built on low lieing land that with climate change is likely to get flooded. There needs to be greater density of housing, with 3 story town houses, with an emphasis on low cost and social housing. Its also a poor reflection on Nelson that you have NO night shelter. I have moved from Wellington where I donate to the Wellington Mission and was very suprised that there was no such support in Nelson.So I definitely support Option 2. | 353.5 |
| green field subdivision is a disaster in terms of community. I support building communities with mixed use, so that people can live and work in the same place to avoid unnecessary commuting. | 408.4 |
| not enough info | 413.5 |
| Council should be partnering to provide housing support. Housing is one of the most significant determinants of health and it benefits all rate-payers to have good housing | 447.5 |
| Make air b&b highly taxed then long term rentals will become available again. Cap the number of property people can own | 450.5 |
| I dont know enough about it | 464.5 |
| Absolutely agree re supporting other initiatives like a night shelter. | 472.5 |
| I think empowering those already working in this area is better than the local govt taking charge of this soln which will require alot of subjective judgement calls. | 486.5 |
| council needs to provide for its low income residents as that is a caring society | 494.5 |
| Housing affordability is a significant issue in Nelson - this option will allow Council be provide more assistance in this area. | 500.5 |
| I encounter homelessness in my work and I can testify that housing is a pressing issue in Nelson that is not going away. It disproportionately affects the less advantaged and will be made worse by the current rolling back of renter's rights. | 583.5 |
| just needs more streamlined approach to get quicker results | 629.5 |
| Change the funding structure to get perpetual benefit long term. strengthen the decision making and make it more robust, not so easy for council to choose pet projects or be swayed by personal relationships. | 631.5 |
| How about re-zoning the North side of Nelson for subdividing. This council is corrupt when it comes to small developments. Need people on the North side so they shope etc in Nelson. Mitre 10 mall...Tahuna people wont shop in Nelson. Richmond wont shop in Nelson. This council is suffocating NELSON | 641.5 |
| I don't know enough about the Housing reserve fund to answer this question. I would support extra funding for Humanity Housing which provide a great option for vulnerable families | 647.5 |
| I do support both of the options but think that the council needs a Housing Strategy rather than a piecemeal approach. My first recommendation, as a professional working in housing and community development, is to develop the community-led housing sector and set up a Community Lands Trust. This ensures a better use of funds, benefitting more people over a longer period of time, and makes for perpetually affordable housing. One can look at Queenstown District and the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust as well as Hamilton City Council and Kapiti Coast District Council for good examples of what's going well regarding the Council's involvement with the Land Trust model. There is a report that says that for every $1 of public money invested in community-led housing, $3 are returned--ROI. This is a great benefit to the wider community. I have many reports that I can make available to Council to help them understand the benefits of community-led housing and these better ways of developing long-term housing strategy. | 675.5 |
| Unsure | 682.5 |
| I think a night shelter is needed. but that the cabins at the Brook Campground could also be utilized for this purpose. | 694.4 |
| Encourage private enterprise to provide this services. | 729.5 |
| Private developers need to compete with KO. Social housing needs to have incentives to deliver high quality, efficient housing to those that need it. These public/private partnerships need to align to those requirements and receive adequate funding to make it attractive both for the developer but also the community. | 773.5 |
| dont see a reason for change | 809.5 |
| Retain the current approach it is not Councils purpose to provide housing it is that of Central Govt. | 828.5 |
| I don't know enough to have an opinion | 847.5 |
| I support. But.. it started off at $8 its down to $4. Couldn't something be done to make it so that its more ongoing, more circular, eg lending interest only or getting something back in a circle somehow, otherwise it will be all used up and gone soon. And while more housing will have been built, great, the Council will hold no assets to show? | 851.4 |
| Regarding the proposal to broaden the scope of the Housing Reserve Fund, it might be beneficial to explore partnerships with private developers (PPP) to facilitate the creation of affordable housing opportunities for first-time homebuyers and others facing similar housing challenges. By utilising land provided by developers and using the Housing Reserve Fund to contract builders and other contractors, we could establish a system that efficiently offers house and land packages at affordable prices. This approach could significantly aid many residents in securing homeownership. | 862.5 |
| I’m writing on behalf of Abbeyfield New Zealand in relation to the proposed change to widen the scope of the Housing Reserve Fund, to enable it to provide vulnerable housing support. We do not support this change, as this kind of housing is very complex, and to be effective draws on a range of services, which are or should be funded by central government. The Housing First programme run in Nelson by the Salvation Army is supported through central government funding streams. Ultimately however, there needs to be increased housing supply to make it possible for the homeless to move through the housing continuum. The Nelson Tasman Housing Trust and Habitat for Humanity have already been supported by the HRF to increase affordable housing in Nelson and have proven the value they add – we applaud their efforts. Abbeyfield also hopes to be able to provide more housing for older people – the group that previously was provided for via the council flats that have been sold to Kainga Ora for wider use. While there is little detail on how council sees this working (ie – services? Or property?) extending the HRF into vulnerable housing will certainly dilute the funding available for wider community housing under the current terms of the HRF. This is a unique fund and we believe it will be more usefully reserved for the current purpose. | 880.1 |
| NPHS Te Waipounamu recommends retention of the current approach to support the delivery of social and affordable housing, where applications are open to iwi trusts and those who are registered as not-for-profit Community Housing Providers by the Community Housing Regulatory Authority. | 887.3 |
| I think both options can work, ideally the non profits maintain the funding they have secured and affordable housing is built by them but some the leftover 3 mil can be used to build a temporary night shelter for our street population to also have connections to services which get our street populations housed and jobs if available | 894.5 |
| Save money for composting and environmental initiatives instead. Support local communities. | 923.5 |
| The fund is likely to need increased resources to cover a broader purpose, however. | 933.5 |
| The option that has the lowest council contribution. | 934.5 |
| Not the job of Council to find housing for the vunerable. Thats central Govt role. Leave it to organisations such as Habitat for Humanity, and support them however you can. | 939.4 |
| whatever you do, please do not build more houses in zones where flooding is likely to occur due to climate change. | 943.5 |
| We agree that housing is a pressing issue for the community. This includes a shortage in housing supply alongside poor quality housing which is difficult and expensive to heat. The provision of an Eco Design Advisor would provide internal expertise which can support ongoing compliance of Council housing with Healthy Home Standards. While also offering advice on retrofit programs to further improve the social housing which is provided by the council, mitigating risks of energy hardship and possibilities of health issues arising for social housing occupants.By providing an Eco Design Advisor also creates an opportunity for Eco Design Advice to be offered to community housing providers. Eco Design Advice provided for new building developments frequently results in improved energy efficiency outcomes without increasing the construction costs. Again, this supports improved energy efficiency and ease of heating enabling warm dry healthy housing for those living in social housing.We support the expansion of the service to develop and provide accommodation for our vulnerable and highest need residents. We believe an Eco Design Advisor role would supplement this by providing critical advice in building performance to ensure unintended consequences are avoided. | 948.2 |
| OPTION 1 … the original purpose for establishing the Fund has not been achieved and expansion to provide vulnerable housing is unfortunately not appropriate . Council must concentrate on using the $12M on affordable housing solutions where other funding sources including those from those benefitting can be leveraged. | 959.5 |
| Absolutely | 963.5 |
| I only support this if the houses can be built on areas that do not have flood-risks from climate change, and using a low carbon construction method. | 965.5 |
| Essential to provide a night shelter and other buildings/housing for vulnerable people. | 977.5 |
| HOUSING RESERVE FUND CHANGESBroaden the purpose of the | 982.5 |
| We agree with the proposal to broaden the provision of vulnerable housing support. We have seen a small, but growing, number of people living in the city centre, which is having an impact on surrounding businesses. It is important that we provide appropriate alternatives for people so that sleeping on the street is not their only option. | 985.4 |
| How will the “vulnerable and highest need residents” be determined? Council need to work in partnership with community and community organisations to find innovative solutions to the housing issue. A ‘night shelter’ for example is a facility that sustains homelessness and are generally unsafe for many of the residents. We need creative and innovative solutions to finding homes for people rather than trying to sustain homelessness or some level of transience. (e.g. Wikitoria) | 987.5 |
| 5Housing: support widening to include emergency housing and homes for vulnerable people. Housing is yet another of the material deficits we have. | 1001.6 |
| I would much prefer that a higher percentage rates was paid into this, so that it can be properly funded. It is incredibly important that we provide good, safe and accessible housing for all (from my own experience, I can tell you that it is pretty much impossible to find accessible housing on the private rental market - the government should do much more on this). | 1009.5 |
| Against broadening the purpose of the Housing Reserve Fund.Support the proposed 50# affordable homes, 50% social housing in the CBD. | 1017.4 |
| As in other places in NZ there is an affordability housing crisis in Nelson. If in 10 years as your longterm plan indicates those over 65 will increase to 1 in 4 there will be more people who have a limited income which will impact on their ability to house themselves in this community. I support including diversity in our community. If those on low incomes especially families can not find stable housing, the social effects will be felt by all of us in time with a negative impact on our security as well as increases in need for health and welfare services. The Council should continue to work with partners to provide social and affordable housing solutions for those that need it. I feel the Council should amend criteria for new applications to require alignment with the Urban Greening Plan 2022. | 1034.4 |
| I support the Council’s proposal to broaden criteria for use of this fund, to enable NCC to support and work with partners to develop and provide accommodation for our vulnerable and highest need residents. | 1047.4 |
| I support the Council’s proposal to broaden criteria for use of this fund, to enable NCC to support and work with partners to develop and provide accommodation for our vulnerable and highest need residents.New applications to the fund should also be required to align with the NCC’s Urban Greening Plan 2022, which aims to “expand our urban canopy, bringing more CO2 absorbing plants and trees into our City Centre while reducing air and noise pollution, supporting biodiversity and food resiliency”. | 1057.4 |
| This started as a $12m fund but has been whittled away over the years handing money out to various groups. It should HAVE ONLY BEEN THE ITEREST ON THE FUND THAT WAS USED FOR THIS SUPPORT AND THE CAPITAL RETAINED so the benefits could be on going and well scrutenised recitents. | 1072.5 |
| sounds great | 1085.5 |
| I dont think it is an issue for council rather it is at a governmental level. | 1093.5 |
| Developing a night shelter will get the homeless out of their tents in Parks and off the streets. | 1094.5 |
| Don't rob sound long-term housing planning for band-aid bottom-of-cliff solutions that just allow creaking central government failures to endure. | 1100.3 |
| We are a wealthy community and there is no excuse for any homelessness in Nelson. Let's make sure all vulnerable people are safely housed in adequate housing. And please prioritise safe housing for victims of domestic assault and violence. Please increase the stock of affordable housing. There is very little affordable housing in Nelson. Also please increase the stock of smaller houses. There is an increasing demographic of single people who do not need (and can't afford) 3 or 4 bedroom homes. So more affordable 1 or 2 bedroom homes please. Please ENSURE that developers are required to make a certain percentage of homes affordable and make it easy for them to do so. I.e. don't charge the moon in resource and building consent fees. | 1108.5 |
| NA | 1157.5 |
| the council should stick to core services to keep rates lower | 1181.5 |
| Choose not to answer. | 1206.5 |
| Let's empower greater capability. | 1212.4 |
| I would like Council to invest in the construction of real housing assets not transfer funds to pay for lease or rental agreements with private property owners. | 1216.5 |
| I support Option 3 – i.e. neither of the two suggested Options.If forced to choose between the 2 Options I would support Option 1My Comments are that the recent Councils have made clear that they look on the capital asset built up by Councils over many decades, simply as a “slush fund” to help finance well-meaning (and currently generally well performing) organizations and Iwi entities, in providing social type housing.Council however completely loses control of the funds as they are disbursed to such entities.I sincerely hope I will not be around when one or more of the recipients of Council’s largesse - goes “broke”; or- makes public any decision to grant tenancy rights based principally on “race” - rather than “need”. | 1225.5 |
| Negotiate with the banks who report billions of dollars of profit each year while families cant afford to buy a home due to high interest and out of control prices. We don't need affordable housing this is just another money grab...Deal with the real issues get interest rates down and bank fees in check so that housing becomes affordable for all. This will not only solve a housing problem it will also solve the escalating crime problem. | 1250.5 |
| providing housing is not a core council activity. Council should use the money for core services only and exit all these money wasting schemes | 1254.5 |
| The hypocrisy of talking about affordable housing while skyrocketing the rates is beyond belief. Giving money to trusts and religious organizations to build their housing stock off past ratepayers contributions quite frankly is sickening, not to mention the current ratepayers subsidizing all manner of rorts to ensure these organisations dont have to meet the usual costs of building and ongoing requests for funding. | 1255.5 |
| Broaden the purpose of the Housing Reserve Fund and work with partners to deliver social and affordable housing. | 1258.5 |
| This fund should be used to continue to build homes, Habitat for Humanity and the Nelson Tasman Housing Trust are doing a good job. Broadening the purpose will dilute effectiveness and impact. Housing First should be a priority rather than the re-establishment of Night Shelters. Finland’s Housing First success has all-but eradicated rough sleeping, and led to the decommissioning of hostels and night shelters. It has done this, in part by building new housing stock. | 1272.5 |
| The vulnerable members of our community need more support to be able to live in a safe, dry and warm environment. Council needs to support those organisations that already exist to be able to provide the on the ground support that is needed, to keep people safe and well. Working across the community and Council is key, funded by Council. There is too much reliance on volunteers. | 1324.5 |
| Nelson desperately needs more housing especially for vulnerable people. This proposal would significantly help many people who do not have somewhere safe to live. A night shelter for Nelson is desperately needed, with the cost of living crisis, increases in rent and increases in house prices leaving many without a safe place to stay. Broadening the purpose of the fund is an action which would benefit the least supported in Nelson | 1348.5 |
| more people need help to access quality affordable housing. | 1366.5 |
| Comment: | 1390.5 |
| I don't think council should be involved in housing. Leave it to social services, habitat for humanity etc | 1412.5 |
| Option One - so long as it's intensification of the city centre and NOT up Maitai/Kaka Valley/Mahitahi Bayview! | 1421.2 |
| unsure here sorry | 1423.5 |
| Housing Reserve Fund changesTBCA supports Option 1- retain our current approach Council should continue to work with and support suitable partners to deliver social and affordable housing solutions for all who need it. | 1433.5 |
| Increase of handouts to introduced persons. The ratepayers have already trouble looking after themselves. | 1439.5 |
| We support Council in Option 2, as we believe that there is an urgent need for suitable accommodation options for our vulnerable and highest need residents. | 1474.14 |
| We agree with the proposal to broaden the scope of the Housing Reserve Fund as described in Option 2. | 1482.5 |
| you will never have affordable housing with how the council approachs the building process - the planing and building side of the council is the reason why this place will never progress- it is an old boys network that operates on corruption within the ranks - if you know soemone you get it throuh quickly- if you dont you are put on a cash merry go round and it is used for a money generating tool | 1489.5 |
| Housing Reserve Fund Changes:I support Option 2Thank you for NCC's contribution to the Vulnerable Housing Network (VHN) , both funding for the Coordinator and the work of the Community Partner Advisor.This is an essential network to keep For Purpose professionals and statutory agencies connected. It ensures everyone is kept up to date with the constant changes for those who are in vulnerable housing and homeless situations, updates on changes within specific organisations and building relationships across the agencies. Please continue to support this network. There is urgent need for more affordable rental accommodation. NCC needs to keep lobbying Kainga Ora to ensure they deliver on their original promise of 100 + social houses in this region as soon as possible. I also support the continuation of community housing agencies accessing the Housing Reserve fund. NCC needs to follow up on the recommendations that come out of the Vulnerable Housing research you have commissioned Meihana Consulting to do. Request for NCC to investigate the number of houses sitting empty and consider ways to make them available for rent eg charge higher rates, connect them with social agencies to assist with finding appropriate tenants. Te Tau Ihu Community Development Agency is going to be a valuable organisation for all social service agencies to work in a more collaborative, effective way. Right now individual agencies are under great stress due to lack of financial resources. This leads to a lack of secure, consistent support to the most vulnerable and lack of time to collaborate for better outcomes. NCC's support will be vital for further development of this agency. The VHN will be able to sit under this agency as one of the specific action groups working across the sector. NCC's Community Investment Fund is one of the essential funds for community organisations to apply to. A number of years ago $100.000 was switched over to the Healthy Homes programme from CIF leaving only $300.000. It is time for NCC to switch it back into CIF to boost the effectiveness of CIF please!Thankyou for this opportunity to participate in the LTP. | 1493.1 |
| Support Option 2 - Broaden the purpose of the Housing Reserve Fund and work with partners to deliver social and affordable housing. | 1494.3 |
| Proposed Housing Reserve ChangesNTHT has concerns about Council’s preferred proposal (Option 2) and advocates for the current approach (Option 1). We really want to maximise the potential impact of the remaining Housing Reserve funds to deliver more affordable/social housing for Nelson. NTHT has consulted many times with both Nelson City Council officers and elected members over the past three years, working collaboratively to achieve the current, robust framework for the Housing Reserve, which has clear and fair criteria and a simple process.NTHT submits that adoption of Option 2 would dilute the impact of the primary purpose of the Housing Reserve to build local community housing capacity – “to achieve an enduring supply of new social/affordable housing in Whakatū Nelson, delivered by government registered Community Housing Providers (CHPs) and/or iwi trusts, who have a presence in Whakatū Nelson”. Council decided to work with established groups (CHPs and iwi trusts) in order to ensure providers would have sufficient organisational muscle to operate effectively over the long-term. NTHT submits that the Housing Reserve should continue to be focussed on providing additional community and iwi housing for Nelson as this is the primary need – while support for short-term interventions on homelessness is admirable, it would be best to give priority to growing the supply of long-term housing for the currently homeless. International research has concluded that a “housing first” strategy is the most effective way of addressing the homelessness cycle. Overseas and New Zealand experience has found that homeless shelters are expensive, often unsafe, stop-gap efforts that perpetuate housing vulnerability. Night shelters with dorm-style rooms provide no privacy, tend to concentrate people with high and complex needs, and require people to leave during the day. Studies show that it is far better to focus on developing more, smaller permanent housing units where individuals can reside safely, receive the mental and physical health support they need, and have stability enabling them to develop skills to live independently, further their education and take on employment. NTHT submits that the Housing Reserve Fund should support areas of need that are not already funded by central Government – The current National Government has committed to put attention into finding and funding solutions for temporary and transitional housing and for addressing the housing needs of households on the Social Housing Register that are in extreme housing stress. This has a slightly narrower focus than the previous Labour administration which, in the latter stages of office, broadened their funding base to include some support for affordable rental housing. As such, there remains a real need to help address the huge demand for affordable, safe and suitable housing for people on low or modest incomes who fall just short of meeting the threshold for Social Housing Register eligibility. The Housing Reserve Fund will continue to be an extremely important way to address Nelson’s needs in this area, and to complement, but not overlap with, the housing support provided by central Government. NTHT submits that expending the Housing Reserve more quickly by supporting homelessness solutions such as temporary shelter could severely threaten the ability of community and iwi housing providers to deliver enduring outcomes - NTHT supports the Housing Reserve’s goals to deliver affordable/social rental housing within 3 years of receipt of grant. This is in the interests of expending the fund as quickly as possible during a time of unprecedented need for affordable rental housing. NTHT has also appreciated the quick turnaround of NCC’s processes for Reserve Fund applications. However, new housing projects require lead time to identify and acquire suitable sites, and for the appropriate due diligence and feasibility studies for what is a long-term commitment. The concern is that homeless shelters are inherently shorter term in their focus and thus due diligence and feasibility work can be less comprehensive and time-consuming, which means applications for available funds may be much more quickly compiled. They may leave limited, or no, funds left in the pool when community and iwi housing providers are in a position to apply. NTHT submits that the current approach (Option 1) recycles funding to housing in a way that was originally envisaged – proceeds for the fund came from the sale of the Council’s elder persons’ housing to Kāinga Ora. It is understood that, at the time, a benefit of sale was seen to be to support growth of yet more suitable long-term housing for community members in need in Nelson.NTHT Recommendation: Do not dilute the purpose of the Housing Reserve, keep it focused on delivering an enduring supply of new social/affordable housing, and continue with Option 1. | 1502.1 |