By LAUREL STOWELL laurel.stowell@wanganuichronicle.co.nz
SUPPORTERS of Project Jericho are left wondering why the trustees of Wanganui's Ozanam Villa don't want to hand over a community-owned property which could provide desperately needed emergency housing.
The Jericho group, headed by Christian Social Services Wanganui (CSSW) is willing to provide low cost accommodation for the
homeless as well as for out of town families of Wanganui Hospital inpatients.
Ozanam Villa, at 1 Koromiko Rd, was bought in about 1979 to provide accommodation for people with relatives in Wanganui Hospital. It is currently run by the Ozanam Villa Trust, with eight trustees.
One of them, Steve Vautier, said occupancy was down to about 20 bed nights a month and the trust wanted to wind up and sell the villa. "It simply isn't cost effective. The trust has been losing very heavily for a number of years and it just hasn't got enough funds to continue."
Moves to wind up and sell the property began about a year ago, and the proceeds of the sale were to be split between three groups: the Cancer Society, Heart Foundation and Hospice Wanganui.
The Society of St Vincent de Paul was a prime mover in setting up the facility - it provided the initial finance of $10,000. Wanganui president Judy O'Hara objected to the idea of the sale in May 2005, but she didn't notice the trust's winding up advert in October.
When she found out the building was to be sold it was too late to have any input.
The Jericho project had been mooted to the trust and to the society in April 2005, and the five bedroom villa and its four bedroom annex was ideal for emergency housing. If the property was sold and the funds dispersed, Mrs O'Hara said the community would lose a building that could meet a15-year need.
It seemed an ideal opportunity, a new group of trustees was willing to serve and the project had letters of support from a huge range of community groups.
"How will we ever afford emergency housing if we have to find that money?" she asked.
The society took the matter to the High Court in Wanganui, asking for the trust's winding up orders to be rescinded on the grounds that it was an interested party and its views had not been heard.
The case was heard on May 8. The judge's precedent-setting decision, announced on July 24, rescinded the winding up orders so that the society could go back to court and state its case.
Judge J Allan asked the groups to have a meeting. Mrs O'Hara invited the Ozanam trustees to a presentation about the Jericho project and the support it had from other organisations.
They listened, but later decided to carry on with the sale and winding up the trust.
