Member Profile: CORT Community Housing

In 1987, Auckland’s Ponsonby Baptist Church set up the Community of Refuge Trust (CORT) in response to the housing needs of people on low incomes in its local area.

CORT Community Housing now manages 186 properties and has 216 tenants: It owns 95 properties and rents an additional 91 properties from the private market, subletting to its tenants.

It also has an active development programme, focussing on the development of medium density, low rise, one and two bedroom units. In 2013, it completed a two-block development of eight one-bedroom (50m²) units in Princes Street, Otahuhu in South Auckland. These were built using e-home technology and Princes Street was e-Home’s first multi-unit medium-density development.

Peter Jeffries, CEO CORT Community Housing told us, “We are very proud of the quality reflected in this new development. The upper units have north-facing decks and the lower units feature generous outdoor areas. The development includes communal areas outside each block that could be used for a communal meeting or barbeque area or communal gardens.”

The development at Princes Street, Otahuhu in South Auckland

By mid- 2015, CORT Community Housing will have added an additional 42 units to its portfolio through its development programme in Mt Wellington and Waimahia Inlet.

Again, these properties are primarily medium density, low rise 1 and 2 bedroom units, built to a high standard in locations close to essential services. CORT Community Housing has taken care in designing the units so that they are sunny, warm, secure and private.

The development at Mount Wellington, Auckland

CORT Community Housing is one of four key partners in the Waimahia Inlet (Weymouth) project in South Auckland that will provide homes for over 282 households. The initiative on disused Crown land is an innovative and highly collaborative model with partners and other community housing organisations working together to provide rental, assisted home ownership and affordable home ownership options to create a mixed tenure, inclusive community.

Tenant participation and engagement are intrinsic to CORT Community Housing’s values. Its housing team and Trustees work hard to ensure that all tenants who want to be involved can do so including being the Tenant Advisor on its Board of Trustees.

Results from CORT Community Housing’s annual tenant satisfaction survey consistently demonstrate that tenants have a high level of satisfaction with their homes and the services they provide. As they grow, the organisation is keen to maintain this level of satisfaction and connection with all tenants.

Peter Jeffries is also the chair of the eleven organisations that have formed the Auckland Community Housing Providers’ Network. Its primary activity is to provide affordable housing solutions for low income households and people requiring support.

Read the 2014 CORT Community Housing Annual Report here.

Read more about CORT Community Housing on their website here.