About Housing First Ōtautahi
Housing First Ōtautahi believes that permanent, secure, appropriate, safe housing is a basic human right for all. Housing First recognises that it is easier for people to address issues such as mental health and substance use, once they are housed.
Who we work with
Our Housing First services are for chronically homeless people who have been homeless for 12 months or more OR 4 episodes of homelessness over a 3 year period with mental health and/or addiction issues. Across the city, we are reaching out to people, who fit this criteria, who need help in the communities and areas known for rough sleeping including people living in cars, couch surfing and people in emergency accommodation.
Our collaborative approach
Homelessness is a complex issue that no single organisation has the ability to solve.
We are six organisations working together using the Housing First approach. Our goal is that homelessness in Ōtautahi will be rare, brief and non-recurring. The strength of our collaboration is its multi-agency approach to providing ongoing and sustained wrap-around support services to help people stay in their homes and never return to homelessness.
Christchurch Methodist Mission
The Christchurch Methodist Mission (CMM) is proud to be the lead organisation for Housing First Ōtautahi and believes that everybody has the right to a warm, affordable and secure home. CMM provides a range of transitional and community housing in Christchurch and Blenheim as well as wrap-around support for tenants.
For over 80 years, CMM has been making a difference in the lives of people across the Upper South Island. We work across the age spectrum, from providing early childhood education and whānau support through to caring for older people needing to be in a more supportive living environment.
Comcare Trust
Comcare is a housing provider, both through utilising its own stock and leasing properties from the private housing sector when required.
Comcare Trust believes in people. The organisations vision is for people who have mental health and addictions challenges in their lives to live well in the community, through our support, and to offer our expertise to the wider community to assist other disadvantaged groups. Housing First speaks to Comcare's fundamental beliefs, and builds on the investment the organisation has made.
Emerge Aotearoa
A national organisation with a long history in Christchurch, Emerge Aotearoa provides a wide range of housing and social support services including for health, addiction, and disability. Employing 1000+ staff across the country, over 200 are based in Christchurch supporting clients of all backgrounds and age-groups.
Emerge Aotearoa is a housing provider, both through utilising its own stock and leasing properties from the private housing sector when required.
Christchurch City Mission
The Christchurch City Mission has an extensive range of services including the men's and women's night shelters, addiction services, day programmes, budget services and a major foodbank. It has a long history of working with those who are homeless. The City Mission works in both crisis and preventative ways to improve the quality of people's lives and enable them to be more self sufficient.
Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust
OCHT is a housing provider, both through utilising its own stock and leasing properties from the private housing sector when required.
The core purpose of OCHT is to provide Social Landlord services to those in need of support with housing. As a values-led organisation and the largest Community Housing Provider in Christchurch with over 2300 units, its role in the initiative will be as a major supplier of housing. OCHT specialises in the provision of small units and homes in 104 complexes.
Te Whare Roimata
Te Whare Roimata is a grassroot community development organization that has operated in the city East for over thirty years, engaging with and supporting local communities. Te Whare provides cultural support for Maori, community health and employment assistance and a range of other services. Over the past decade, Te Whare Roimata has observed increasing gentrification of the city East, and advocated for the maintenance of low cost housing in the area.
