 |
PO Box 8434 Christchurch +64 3 420 4342 |
About Us
Habitat for Humanity Christchurch Ltd. is a registered charity.The Affiliate has been involved in nine build projects to date, ranging from new-builds to renovations but with a common result: releasing families from the rent trap into a new era of home ownership.We have found an incredible increase in self esteem for the families involved.
As with many other New Zealand Affiliates obtaining land at an acceptable price has been challenging and this has led to some creative solutions such as a recent build which was carried out on land already owned by the partner family.
Check out the photos at this link:
A Kaiapoi family of six will soon have a new home thanks to a building project that gets underway at the University of Canterbury next week.
The Canterbury chapter of the Golden Key International Honour Society and Habitat for Humanity Christchurch have joined forces to build a house for the Evans family on the University’s Ilam Rd frontage.
The build will begin on 22 February and is expected to take two weeks to complete. Once finished, the house will be relocated to a site in Kaiapoi where three other Habitat for Humanity houses will be built.
The Evans family – Trish and Keith and their four children Daniel (19), Joshua (18), and twins Roisin and Kelly (14) – are excited by the project and said they were grateful for the opportunity that had been given to them. Members of the family will work on the house during the build.
“My wife is so happy she has a huge grin,” said Mr Evans. “It has been a dream of hers to own her own home, but we never thought it would be a reality for us. This is just amazing.”
Mr Evans said the family, which currently lives in rented accommodation, decided to apply for the Habitat for Humanity project after it was suggested to them by their pastor at the Kaiapoi Baptist Church.
“We applied never thinking we’d qualify let along be chosen,” he said.
“I can’t believe how quickly it has all happened and we’ve been surprised by all the generosity of all the people involved. It’s just incredible.”
Unable to work fulltime due to poor health, Mr Evans is a volunteer ambulance driver for St John Ambulance and is a regular helper at his church’s community lunch. He and Trish, a radiographer, also volunteer their time to the local school PTAs, the Kaiapoi Art Expo and the River Carnival.
This is not the first time Habitat for Humanity and the Canterbury Golden Key chapter have worked together. In 2006 another house was built on the University’s Ilam Rd frontage and subsequently moved to a site in Rangiora.
Habitat for Humanity Board Chair, Margaret Cook said, “ The Board is thrilled to be associated with the University again. Habitat houses are built by volunteers under expert supervision. Having students willing to participate is heart-warming to the local affiliate. We anticipate another successful partnership, culminating in a new home for the Evans family.”
Habitat for Humanity is a Christian not for profit organisation that works in partnership with people of goodwill and families in housing need, to eliminate sub-standard housing by building, renovating and selling simple decent homes on an affordable basis.
The Golden Key International Honor Society is a student-run organisation that develops leadership through community service, promotes teamwork and recognises academic achievement.
New Developments in Christchutch
It was a lovely sunny Canterbury day on Sunday, 20th September. A great day for a Dedication!
An enthusiastic group of Habitat supporters, local dignitaries and board members gathered at the entrance to the new sections in Fuller Street, Kaiapoi where four new homes will be built early next year. The Dedication was performed by Paul Askin a local Pastor.
Both Hon Clayton Cosgrove MP and Kate Wilkinson MP were invited to speak and gave informative talks on Habitat and gave their continued support for the work worldwide as well as local. We all then ventured onto the site and Clayton and Kate ‘turned the first sod’. A new sign was then erected at the front of the site, and our last Habitat family, Mr & Mrs Kevin Ching and their son loved helping with this.
Our grateful thanks to the Canterbury Community Trust who made the purchasing of this large piece of land possible with a $250,000 grant.
We all enjoyed a cup of tea and lovely afternoon tea provided by the Board, chatting in the last of the winter sunshine.
We are heading into a new building project in the new year and in the meantime are busy working closely with the local council to subdivide the land and get plans drawn for the new homes. The selection of families is also in process.
The Canterbury Region
CanterburyNew Zealand
Canterbury
- There are around 200,000 occupied dwellings and 18,000 unoccupied dwellings in Canterbury Region.
- Whilst Canterbury consistently scores well statistically in most social indicators, the instances of fuel poverty, where families spend more than 10% of their income on fuel for the home due to properties providing inadequate shelter from cold winter conditions, are increasing. This can lead to increased health risks, financial pressure and physical discomfort for those in inadequate housing and is a major concern in our region with statistics showing that households in decile group 1 spent between 10 and 18% of household income on energy.