In 1982, members of Glen Eden Baptist Church took over a disused railway station on a lease of one dollar a year so they could support local families who were doing it tough. Four and a half decades later, Visionwest Waka Whakakitenga supports more than 14,000 people a year through housing, food support, financial mentoring, youth work, counselling, home healthcare and wraparound services.
This month, that story reached another milestone just down the road from where it began. The first 24 apartments of Village of Hope, Te Kāinga o te Tūmanako, officially opened at 91 Glendale Road in Glen Eden on Tuesday 13 October, with Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka joining community members for the occasion.
The 24 long term community housing apartments sit across two blocks of 12 and are built for an intergenerational community that includes kaumātua and older residents, people with disabilities, families and single adults. Eight ground floor apartments are designed for accessible living and reserved for kaumātua, older residents and residents with disabilities. A standalone community whare connects the two buildings, giving residents a shared space to gather, learn and celebrate. Two electric vehicles are being trialled as a residents’ car share programme, and native bird murals by local artist John Feary run through the stairwells.
“We’ve learnt over many years that permanent housing with the right supports is transformational in giving whānau the stability and confidence they need to build hope for the future,” said Visionwest CEO Lisa Woolley.
“These homes are about giving people a place to put down roots, find genuine community and thrive. That is what the Village of Hope is all about.”
Residents are referred through the Ministry of Social Development’s Housing Register, which currently lists more than 19,000 households nationwide. In West Auckland alone, 1,146 households remain on the register. The first whānau are expected to move in from late November 2026.
The development was made possible through support from the Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport, financing from the Community Housing Funding Agency, and Visionwest’s own contribution of land and housing development funding. Stage one is only the beginning. Plans for stage two include a purpose built community hub that would give whānau a single front door to all of Visionwest’s wraparound support, and a third stage bringing tamariki and kaumātua together in an intergenerational learning centre is being explored. On completion, expected around 2035, the full village will bring housing, support and community together across a 1.2 hectare site.
As a community owned business, we get to put our surplus back into the organisations doing the long haul work across The West, and Visionwest is one of them. Congratulations to everyone who has carried this kaupapa, and to the whānau about to call Glendale Road home.
Learn more about Visionwest at visionwest.org.nz or follow them on Facebook.
If you or your organisation could use support from The Trusts, find out how to apply at thetrusts.co.nz/our-funds.
