Housing Services
Hei awhina i te kimi kainga ahuru e taea te utu, a, kia mau tonu - helping people find and sustain affordable, safe housing
Comcare’s Housing Service has been developed to address the particular housing needs and issues of people who experience mental illness and addictions. Good quality, appropriate, affordable housing is crucial in the maintenance of good mental health, but people with these life experiences face particular barriers to locating and maintaining housing.
The Housing Service provides specialized help with finding housing, preventing housing loss and assisting those who are homeless or in unsafe circumstances with temporary housing and help to find a permanent situation.
- Housing Facilitation: Assistance in finding, setting up and maintaining housing
- Home Rescue: Quick intervention to prevent housing loss
- Emergency Housing: Short term housing for those who are homeless, with assistance to find permanent housing
- Group Living: Assistance with setting up and supporting shared living situations
- Comcare Tenancies: Long term individual and group tenancies with Comcare as Landlord
- Flatmate Finders: A self help service to find housing shared with others
- AOD Housing: A range of housing interventions and supports for people in treatment for drug and/or alcohol addiction
Access to all services is via referral
Hei awhina i te kimi kainga
This service assists people to locate, set up, and maintain independent rental tenancies. The type of housing could be private landlord, state or local body owned with Christchurch City Council or Housing New Zealand Corporation, or a Comcare owned/leased property.
A Housing worker will help with flat hunting, vetting tenancy agreements, providing WINZ information and advocacy, dealing with utilities, debt issues and generally lessening the stress of obtaining new housing. Support is provided to ensure tenancies are sustainable for the individual and to assist problem solving should future difficulties arise.
images/referral form housing facilitation.pdf
Puritia kia mau te kainga pai
Home Rescue has been developed in response to feedback that indicated many service users lost housing due to the impact of their illness on their ability to manage during a period of ill health or hospitalisation. In our current economic climate it is so important that, if housing is suitable and affordable, all attempts are made to retain and maintain housing for people who experience mental illness.
Home Rescue is an urgent service that will respond to a referral within 24 hours.
The Home Rescue worker will, as appropriate, liaise with the landlord, attend Tenancy Tribunal Hearings and Mediations, advocate regarding debt and WINZ assistance, arrange property clean ups and help with getting animals cared for.
images/home rescue referral.pdf
Kia kore ai he tangata kainga kore. Ka whakaritea he whare ahuru, he wahi noho i a koe e kimi kainga ana
As housing becomes harder to access, and as the time required to find appropriate housing increases, temporary placement in a safe environment is becoming crucial to avoid homelessness and to assist people who are ready to leave inpatient clinical services but are homeless.
Comcare operates five flats to provide this service and offers short term, temporary tenancies to individuals or families. This provides safe housing while more permanent housing is sourced.
The flats are not shared, are furnished and are available for a maximum eight week tenancy.
images/referral form emergency housing.pdf
People self-refer to Flatmate Finders which provides advertising and advice for those who wish to find a position in an established flat, or rent out a spare room. The service worker can provide resources on tenancy rights, flatmate agreements, kitty systems and other areas affecting those in flatmate positions.
AOD Housing Service
This Housing Service targets people receiving treatment for drug and/or alcohol addiction issues. The Service can assist with problems in current housing, provide emergency housing placements, assist those who are homeless after residential placements to find appropriate accommodation, and provide access to Comcare tenancies. The AOD housing workers can also assist in finding appropriate supports to assist recovery in the community and will support clients for up to a year. The Service has a harm minimization philosophy regarding substance use. Referrals can be made by health funded alcohol and drug treatment services and advocacy services.
images/referral form aod housing.pdf
Comcare acts as landlord to a large number of individual tenants and two agencies. The organisation is looking to increase its role in the future as a specialist social housing provider recognizing the importance of our involvement in the direct provision of permanent, good quality, low cost accommodation and our expertise in this specialist area of tenancy management.
Recent building projects:
17 one bedroom flats built across 4 sites through the assistance of HNZC Housing Innovation Fund loans. Special features of these developments are low density building, extra attention to sound proofing to assist tenants who may experience altered sleeping patterns, private outdoor space and good storage and garaging.
Group Living Service
Comcare’s update of a traditional service model that can offer a first step or long-term living solution.
Sharing accommodation offers opportunity to reduce living costs, have company yet still have your own space and/or receive support when fully independent living is difficult. Many people find the option of shared accommodation in a Comcare flat an excellent long term housing solution, while others see it as a helpful step towards gaining greater independence.
Group Living offers the opportunity for an individual to become a flatmate in a semi supported environment. People live together independently; yet receive support to manage many of the day to day aspects of living together. Individuals can access community support staff to work with them on their own development. As a group, they have the support of a Coordinator who assists them live together harmoniously and make the decisions flatmates need to undertake to make their home function well. This is especially important when a vacancy occurs and people need assistance to ensure the new person is a good match with current occupants.
Eligible people are those whose mental illness is impacting on their ability to live independently and where a desire to share accommodation has been voiced.
images/referral form group living 11.pdf
Access to all Comcare Housing Services is by Referral
Emergency Housing and Home Rescue requires a referral completed by a clinician of Specialist Mental Health Services of the Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB)
Housing Facilitation requires a referral from a clinician of Specialist Mental Health Services of the CDHB or Needs Assessor from the following organizations: Lifelinks, Needs Assessment and Service Coordination Service, Toi Ora Arotaki.
Group Living requires a referral from a clinician of the Specialist Mental Health Services of CDHB or Needs Assessor from the following organizations: Lifelinks, Needs Assessment and Service Coordination Services, Toi Ora Arotaki.
Flatmate Finders is self referral or referral from agencies above
Comcare Tenancies are accessed from other Comcare Housing Services or Group Living Service