Trust celebrates helping 100th household into affordable housing in Queenstown

A long-time Queenstown family has recently become the 100th household assisted into affordable housing by the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust.

Dean and Theresa Swain have moved in to a brand new, three-bedroom home with their three children and two cats in QLCHT’s affordable housing development in Shotover Country, under an affordable rental scheme.

It’s a huge milestone for the trust – which celebrates 10 years in operation next year – as well as a major lifesaver for the Swain family.

After their landlord sold their rental property of 10 years, the Swains struggled to find an affordable property suitable for their family and pets.

Having both lived in Queenstown for more than 20 years, leaving town wasn’t an option. “Our jobs are here and the kids are settled in school here. This is our hometown and there was no way we wanted to leave it all behind,” Theresa says.

They had been on the QLCHT waiting list for a couple of years, and after their situation was identified as a priority by the Trust, the whole family recently moved into a brand new home.

“We haven't been this happy, this secure and this content for a very long time,” Theresa adds.

QLCHT executive officer Julie Scott says the Trust is delighted to get 100 runs on the board: “It couldn’t have been with a more appropriate household than this long-standing local family. The Swains are heavily involved in the Queenstown community and we’re thrilled to have been able to help them.”

QLCHT offers a variety of assistance to people looking for homes to live in, including shared-ownership schemes, affordable rentals, rent-saver programmes and rent-to-buy options. It has serious future plans, Scott says.

“The demand for affordable housing is intensifying as the property market becomes more out of reach for first home buyers, and the lack of rentals properties exacerbates the problem. QLCHT is committed to ensuring residents of the Queenstown Lakes District have access to housing at a cost within their means, and we are actively working on reaching the 200th household within the next two years.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media