The Waiheke Community Housing Trust is reluctantly selling it’s affordable housing property in Onetangi to Man O’ War Vineyards as the worsening global economy puts it in an untenable position.
Trust chairman Paul Carew says it’s a devastating and graphic example of how the market fails to address the urgent issue of housing affordability. “The very issue we were trying to help with in the first place… It shows just how dire things are. This is the last thing we want to do, but it’s the only way we can continue our work in affordable rental housing.”
Man O’ War is buying the Waiheke Road property to house its permanent staff and on top of the sales price the vineyard also made a “sizable” donation to the trust. Paul says the 10 people who live there, in three separate dwellings, have been fantastic tenants and they deserve more stability than the trust was ultimately able to give them.
It’s been less than a year since they moved in, and trust wouldn’t ask them to move if it had seen any other choice, Paul says.
“Unfortunately we’re not immune to the unpredictable housing market. It’s been one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. It’s kept me awake at night.” • Paul Mitchell
Full story in this week’s Gulf News … Out Now!!!
