Life-changing trust born out of state demolitions

Demolition of many State houses in Upper Hutt led to the creation of a local trust which is now housing many people who were locked out of the rental market and living in cars or friends’ lounges.

The trust is now so well-respected that landlords are offering it houses to sub-let.

The Upper Hutt Housing Trust manages 32 rental spaces, housing 110 individuals across 41 households and owns its first property, by coincidence once rented by the trust chair and her husband as newlyweds.

Back in 2016 the Ecology, Justice and Peace Group at St Joseph’s Catholic Church became so concerned with homelessness in Upper Hutt that it called a meeting of all churches. The trust was formed following that meeting.

Trust chairman Teresa Homan says that around 2014 there was a local housing shortage before Housing New Zealand announced plans to demolish blocks of State housing in the Ruahine Street area of Trentham.

The justification was that there was no housing shortage in Upper Hutt and the buildings were earthquake-prone and some were occupied by gang members.

A group of concerned locals including Judy Dixon and Teresa tried to convince Housing New Zealand to rebuild the homes. They held public protests outside the houses and sang “We Shall Not Be Moved”.

Judy, now the trust’s board secretary, says that around the country John Key’s National-led government decided that Housing New Zealand should return a dividend to the Government which meant it had no money to refurbish properties so demolished them and sold the land to private developers.

The Ruahine Street blocks met the same fate in 2016, removing about 70 rental homes from the city’s housing stock.  Another 40 were demolished soon after.

We said ‘You have the land, don’t sell it off’,” Teresa says.

But the displaced tenants were offered State homes away from Upper Hutt and the vacant land was sold to developers.

Houses demolished, land sold

Judy says that when they sent people to Housing New Zealand they were told because there were no houses available in Upper Hutt they could not put their name on a waiting list. Consequently the Government said there was no housing need in Upper Hutt, she says.

Judy says there used to be 80,000 State houses nationally and after so many were demolished and not replaced the number is now around 60,000.

While people can seek an accommodation supplement for private rentals Teresa says it hasn’t been of help overall.

It is only recently that new State houses are being built in Upper Hutt by Kāinga Ora (the former Housing New Zealand), Teresa says.

In the meantime the demolitions in Ruahine Street led to the trust being established as a Christian response to the city’s housing needs.

The trust deed was signed in August 2016 and the trust was fully registered by early 2017.

While the board members are also members of local churches, those churches are not involved in the administration of the trust.

It took until July 2017 to find a landlord who would lease a property to the trust which would sub-lease it to tenants in need. The trust promised to pay the rent, manage the property and have regular contact with the tenants (as part of wraparound services) which was more than an ordinary landlord was entitled to do.

By December they had leased two homes and set up a small boarding house (in a former semi-commercial property).

Many shut out of rental market

Judy says many prospective tenants are shut out of the market because they don’t have a computer to do an online application. It also impacts on people with literacy challenges or who speak English as a second language.

The trust developed a programme called Ready to Rent where volunteers support and coach people who are unable to access accommodation without support.

Judy says those without loving families to fall back on are hugely disadvantaged.

Many have also been abused and lack confidence.

And people first need a residential address before they can apply for a bank account and WINZ benefits.

People end up stealing to survive, Judy says.

Getting people into accommodation is foundational to addressing other issues they may be facing.

Judy says some people otherwise wake up in the night thinking “Where are my kids going to sleep tonight?”

If we can teach them how to be good tenants we can give them a good start,” Judy says.

Trust tenants don’t have to live in fear if they can’t pay their rent sometimes, Teresa says.

Some face generational issues that are not their fault.

“We help them to manage the situation and to rise above it,” Teresa says.

Trust people also give practical help such as taking those without transport to medical appointments.

Judy says the trust has had some great success stories but occasional failures.

Success because most tenants form a family-like bond with the trust workers. Some of the tenants have moved from transitional rentals to permanent rentals with the trust.

Some have found work and some now work for the trust to maintain the properties it leases and manages. The trust has formed a programme called Ready to Work to help its tenants, some of whom have never worked before.

The trust has been able to teach them valuable work skills.

Judy says there are a lot of socially-minded landlords in Upper Hutt, who often charge below market rentals.

A life transformed

Adam is a person whose life has been transformed by the trust.

In 2018 he was a severe alcoholic living in his car.

The trust gave him a home in their boarding house and provided wraparound support and encouragement.

“The trust has supported me daily as I worked through addressing the multiple issues that had got me to this point including the alcohol addiction. It has been a long hard road with many ups and downs on the way. But the trust were always there walking beside me.

“One year ago I gained a qualification from Massey University with the trust providing me with a computer and coaching me in academic writing. It was something I would have never imagined doing earlier in my life.

I will always be a recovering alcoholic, but I now have a job I love and a completely different future ahead of me.”

He now lives in one of the trust’s permanent rentals and describes life now as “pretty good”. He says it would not be that way without the trust.

Landlords offering houses

The trust’s work has become so respected in Upper Hutt it has landlords coming to it to offer properties.

“We had a group from New Plymouth call and say ‘How do you do it’,” says Judy.

The trust’s work was acknowledged in the 2023 Wellington Airport-sponsored Regional Community Awards where it won the Upper Hutt Community Service category and will go to the regional finals in November 2023.

The trust now has a contract with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to provide transitional housing. The ministry funds the trust which pays the rent and some staff time.

The trust’s responsibility is to move the tenants from transitional accommodation to permanent accommodation.

Transitional housing manager Barbara with Ron, service and delivery manager, outside the trust’s office in Upper Hutt’s Main Street

Currently the trust has six houses (mostly for families) and a six-roomed boarding house (for singles) for transitional housing.

The trust came to own its first property through a chain of events that link back to the proposed demolition of the State houses.

When demolition was mooted, the Trentham Community Trust was formed, bought the former Merton Street IHC school and turned it into a community centre.

After the houses were demolished the Trentham trust sold its building to the local Muslim community and bought a house which they rented to the Upper Hutt Housing Trust. The house was later gifted to the housing trust when the Trentham trust was wound up.

By coincidence it is the same property that Teresa and husband Stewart rented as newlyweds before they bought their first home.

In the future the trust hopes to buy or build more homes. Owning one property gives it access to mortgage finance.

Teresa says they have a few irons in the fire, but getting land comes first.

One option could be leasing land and placing relocatable homes on it.

If you liked this story, join our Daily Encourager Media Facebook page by clicking here.

For further information:

Upper Hutt Housing Trust