Bay of Plenty housing: Rent-to-own better than state house - Carmen Hall

Te reo Māori teacher Tuterangiwhiu and his wife Carmen Habitat with daughter Ivy. Photo / Andrew Warner

OPINION

There is no doubt the Bay of Plenty has a housing crisis. Many people in our community are living in overcrowded houses, motels, cars or on the streets.

Much work is being done to solve the problems but unfortunately, it’s not happening fast enough. Many organisations are working in this space including government ministries such as Kāinga Ora and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.

But they can only do so much.

Everyone is entitled to a roof over their head. In my view, home ownership is the way to go but this has become a pipe dream for many due to the rising cost of living, high interest rates, big deposits and hefty mortgages.

Habitat for Humanity should be congratulated for its rent-to-buy, shared equity, or leasehold arrangement housing projects, which have come to fruition thanks to the Government’s $400 million Progressive Home Ownership Fund.

Rent to own is not new but when it’s backed by government money and overseen by an iconic non-profit organisation, it gives everyone involved peace of mind.

For me, as a taxpayer, it’s a win-win situation that gives people such as Tuterangiwhiu and Carmen Grant-Cairns a welcome break in life.

The Rotorua couple, who have two young daughters, were given the keys last week to a newly built three-bedroom home at Sanctuary Point in Tauranga as part of Habitat for Humanity’s rent-to-buy Progressive Home Ownership system.

They had been living in a single bedroom for almost three years and described being in “flight-or-fight mode and just not knowing where we were going to be”.

Tuterangiwhiu, who works as a teacher at Toi Ohomai, said to see their efforts of trying to find a home finally come to fruition was incredibly special.

Habitat for Humanity tenancy manager Dave White told the family he was proud the organisation had been able to offer the opportunity and acknowledged their resilience.

I hope more projects like this get the green light. I would rather see young families who can afford to do it, with a hand-up, live in their own homes as opposed to state housing or private rentals.

Owning your own home should not be a privilege. We need to help those who are willing to work with others to get on the property ladder.