Housing trust completes six new homes

Six low-income families have received a “fresh start” in Victory’s brand-new Nelson Tasman Housing Trust homes.

The dwellings on Totara St were officially opened on Monday morning with tenants due to move in this month.

There is a mixture of two 2-bedroom homes, three 3-bedroom homes, and one 4-bedroom home, and all are two-storey.

The new tenants include people who have been living in emergency and transitional housing and unsuitable housing in the private sector. They will pay an income-related rent which keeps them affordable.

One tenant named Barry will be living in one of the 2-bedroom homes with his son and says it was an “indescribable feeling” when he found out his application for a home was successful.

After having a partial stroke, and being epileptic, he can’t drive, so being close to amenities is important for him, he says.

“This is good for the bus, town, and the hospital.”

Another tenant, Brodie, who also secured a 2-bedroom home, says it will be a “fresh start” for his family.

“It’s amazing, I’m feeling very lucky, everything’s so nice and new.”

Trust director Carrie Mozena says she is “absolutely rapt” to see the houses finished and tenants ready to move in.

“This is why we do this. It’s not just to see the buildings go up, it’s seeing how life-changing it is for the families that move into them.”

Construction on the $4.3 million (including land costs) development began at the start of this year. The sites once homed two older dwellings that the trust purchased from Nelson City Council in August 2022.

The new homes are designed to be energy-efficient and have photovoltaic panels to reduce the cost of power.

Carrie says the completion of this development brings the trust’s number of homes to 60, and it plans to build another 60 over the next four years.

“It’s a wonderful milestone, being halfway to our goal of 120 rental homes. But it’s an even bigger milestone for the families who will be moving into these homes… for them, it is an opportunity to gain a warm, comfortable, affordable home where they can live long-term and put down roots.

“We know that our homes have a positive impact on people’s health, well-being, and peace of mind. Our research also shows that having a secure home can help children with education and help adults secure employment,” she says.

The trust currently has another 18 rental homes under development in Nelson, all of which will be completed next year.