Otago Community Trust Supporting Cosy Homes Charitable Trust

Media Release

The launch of Cosy Homes follows eighteen months of groundwork spearheaded by a 2013 symposium that brought together more than 75 groups, including Otago Community Trust, working to improve the health, housing and financial stability of local families. “Getting those stakeholders together in one room was really the tipping point to launching this initiative,” says Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull, who serves as the Cosy Homes Chairperson. “Together we determined that existing efforts in this space were too fragmented, and lacked a coordinated approach. We formed this vision as a united group and are positioning Cosy Homes amongst us as our backbone healthy homes organisation.”

The Cosy Homes mission of "Making every home in Dunedin warm and cosy by 2025" is an admirable goal and one that the Otago Community Trust firmly believes in. Chief Executive Barbara Bridger highlights that there are very good synergies between what the Cosy Homes Charitable Trust is aiming to achieve and the Warm Homes programme the Otago Community Trust already champions.

Research from the University of Otago Medical School based in Wellington has shown quite clearly the inadequacy of past home heating approaches and insulation. “It is often quoted that $1 spent on insulation saves $5 in health savings to families, this relates to reduced medical bills, less time away from work due to ill children. Therefore, we passionately believe in helping people across Otago improve the insulation and heating of their homes” Ms Bridger says.

Otago Community Trust has invested over $1.0 million since 2013 into its Warm Homes through the Funding for Change Initiative, a partnership programme with Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA). In working with local insulation companies Smart Energy Solutions and Techno Bond, over 1500 houses in Dunedin and across Otago have been insulated.

The Cosy Homes project will further assist agencies working with households to become better equipped to support families and individuals to achieve a healthy home. A key component will be to co-ordinate the delivery of a Beacons Home Energy Awareness Certification training programme targeted at frontline social service providers, public health workers, budget advisors and others that work with families in their homes. The programme will cover topics including: reducing heat loss, adequate heating, moisture management, different fuel types, healthy indoor temperatures, understanding power bills and where to access additional resources.