Catholic agency building new homes to meet growing need

There will be nine homes in the development, with one designed for those with disability. They offer affordable, stable homes to families and seniors, ranging in size from two to four bedrooms. 

De Paul House governance board chair Brendan Fitzgerald said the complex is the “fulfilment of a dream” that the board has been “working towards for many years”.

De Paul House provides 43 transitional accommodation units, previously known as emergency accommodation, along with the range of support.

Several years ago, De Paul House broadened its scope to include the provision of community housing, Mr Fitzgerald said.

“We now have 12 properties commercially leased to provide permanent rental accommodation for families who meet the criteria,” he explained.

“This solution for community housing needs, known as ‘redirects’, is no longer supported by Government. The emphasis is now on supporting new construction. This is the pathway De Paul House has decided to pursue to grow our community housing portfolio.“

In June last year, the board approved the purchase of two adjoining properties in the North Shore suburb of Birkdale with the intention of constructing nine units – one four-bedroom unit, one three-bedroom unit and seven two-bedroom units, including an accessible, single-storey unit, Mr Fitzgerald said.

“The generosity of our supporters and donors made this acquisition possible,” he added.

“The venture is financially viable with HUD (Ministry of Housing and Urban Development) providing a 25-year operational allowance and the Community Housing Funding  Agency providing loan facilities at favourable interest rates.”

In January 2026, De Paul House received 123 calls from families, teenagers and seniors seeking help to address housing issues. This is more than double the number of enquiries in January 2025. “

This trend is continuing, meaning we face a huge demand on our support services,” a De Paul House newsletter stated.  

De Paul House is an agency of the Catholic Diocese of Auckland. It was established in 1986 following concerns about the growing problem of homelessness.

FULL STORY

De Paul House March newsletter

De Paul House Annual Report 2024/2025