Habitat for Humanity will give six Bay of Plenty families a 'hand up” into homeownership with their rent-to-buy programme.

The non-for profit organisation is offering new Progressive Home Ownership opportunities in Tauranga's Sanctuary Point and Papamoa's West Dune.

Habitat for Humanity central region chief executive Nic Greene says these houses will be ready to be occupied next year, and that the charity is taking applications now.

'We're looking for families who are excluded from the market,” says Nic. 'Low-median income families with a focus on Maori and Pacifica and…families looking for that first step onto the property market.”

Rent-to-buy has been Habitat's progressive home ownership programme for more than 25 years and has seen growth due to government funding, says Nic. He adds that with the rapid rise of house prices, the charity is offering a 'hand up” as opposed to a hand out.

Ten-year partnership

'It's not just a house purchase – it's a 10-year partnership that families enter into, so we get underway now to identify those people and start them on their journey,” says Nic. The programme sees families rent for the first five years before being supported into formal home ownership. Habitat also offers education to families as a part of their home ownership journey.

'There's a whole lot of wrap around services that we do because we're working with people who aren't able to get into the normal market for whatever reason – whether that's a financial reason or other things in their lives,” says Nic. 'We obviously want to help address those and get them onto the property ladder.”

This is Habitat for Humanity's first major project in the Bay of Plenty for some time, and the charity is delighted to be backed by Venture Developments and Bay Trust, says Nic.

'We're active in Wellington and the Waikato but this is our first major project in the Bay for a number of years.”

Families to apply

The habitat team looks forward to hearing from families who are interested in the programme and the future aspirations that families have for themselves.

'We know that securing a decent place to live goes beyond the immediate benefits of a home that's warm, dry, safe and healthy. Home ownership can be the catalyst that helps whanau to achieve in so many ways.”

Families who meet the programme's criteria are invited to apply via: www.habitat.org.nz/central Or email: central@habitat.org.nz