Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust
Providing affordable homes and building sustainable communities where people love to live
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Manaakitanga - Duty of Care
Honesty, integrity empathy and respect; we act with sincerity and empathy – we do what is right, not what is easy. By what we say and do, we show people that they and their wellbeing are important to us.
Ngā whakanui - Celebration
We recognise and celebrate the efforts and achievements of the people we help, and those of volunteers, supporters and employees.
Pūataata - Transparency
It is what we do and not do, for which we are at all times prudent and accountable in our actions and in our fiscal management.
Toitū te whenua - Enviromental sustainability
We operate in a way that meets our present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
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We’re building great communities for people in Ōtautahi Christchurch.
We’re a registered community housing provider, an affordable rental provider and a registered Progressive Home Ownership provider that supports people into affordable housing.
We’ve been a registered Community Housing Provider since 2016 - Today, we provide community housing in homes we own, lease or have built to more than 2700 people in Christchurch, Lyttelton and Akaroa. We have about 2450 rental properties making us the biggest community housing provider in the South Island.
We’re a values-driven landlord, but one with a difference. We’re tenant-centric - we actively work with our community housing tenants and social services to foster sustainable tenancies; we do what we can as a landlord to support and empower tenants to enhance individual and community wellbeing.
We offer proactive tenant support; we build, we renovate and we strive for financial and social sustainability, to provide housing opportunities for people in need now and the future. Ngā wāriutanga - our values - guide our work.
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We’ve been a registered Community Housing Provider since 2016.
Today, we provide community housing in homes we own, lease or have built to more than 2700 people in Christchurch, Lyttelton and Akaroa. We have about 2450 rental properties making us the biggest community housing provider in the South Island.
We’re a values-driven landlord, but one with a difference. We’re tenant-centric - we actively work with our community housing tenants and social services to foster sustainable tenancies; we do what we can as a landlord to support and empower tenants to enhance individual and community wellbeing.
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We’re supporting low income households into affordable, long-term rental units at prices set below market rental rates.
Our affordable rentals are for qualifying households that can’t afford market rent but that don’t qualify for, or don't need public housing.
Most of our affordable rental homes are one bedroom units in terrace-style multi-unit housing complexes. They best suit people who enjoy living in a community context. Families moved into our first affordable rental homes for families, part of our government-supported Affordable Rental (Families) programme, in our new Carey Street development in 2024.
Our affordable rental programme provides the security of a secure and affordable tenancy, and a new chance to better meet a household’s financial goals.
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We’re doing what we can to help people move through the housing continuum, from low-cost renting and into a home they can truly call their own.
ŌCHT’s Progressive Home Ownership programme Secure Home gets low-to-median income earning working families with children into a modern home in a new ŌCHT community development in Christchurch.
Secure Home is a leasehold scheme offering all the rights of home ownership but at a lower cost. It is a leasehold form of ownership. It offers a 100-year right to occupy the home at a purchase price set at the cost of construction, keeping upfront costs much lower than for a comparable property on the open market.
Secure Home provides secure tenure, a family home for life, and the opportunity to support household savings over the leasehold term.
Our first Secure Home properties were offered at our new Carey Street development in 2024. We plan to offer more at our Glue Place/Sparks Road development in 2025.
ŌCHT is a government-approved Progressive Home Ownership provider. Secure Home is supported by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the Progressive Home Ownership Fund.
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We’re a property manager and a new home builder that’s committed to improving and growing community and affordable housing. Supported by our experienced maintenance team, our building and development programme is delivering award-winning, innovative new homes in Ōtautahi.
We’re values-driven and we’re in it for the long haul. We operate in a socially and financially sustainable way to provide and grow community and affordable housing now and into the future.
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ŌCHT is a partner in Housing First Ōtautahi, a collaboration of six community partners ensuring people experiencing chronic homelessness (kaewa) can access housing and support services.
We second two staff to work with Housing First, and we have in-house staff dedicated to working with kaewa and their support services.
