Community House gets 4 new tenants

Waitaki District Community House Trust board trustee Peter Bond (left) and chairman Dick Cottier...
Waitaki District Community House Trust board trustee Peter Bond (left) and chairman Dick Cottier are excited to welcome two new tenants to the building. PHOTO: NIC DUFF
Waitaki District Community House in Oamaru has welcomed four new tenants.

Waitaki Multicultural, Stopping Violence Dunedin, Explore Psychologist and OCP/FOCUS Counselling have recently moved in.

They join Citizens Advice Bureau, Ear Health, Cancer Society and Patients and Community Trust (Pact) as the other organisations in the building.

Family Works and Age Concern moved out as they were expanding.

The building owned by the Waitaki District Council is run by the Waitaki District Community House Trust.

It was an important aspect of any town, chairman Dick Cottier said.

"It brings together all the non-profit organisations who are doing service to the community at a reasonable price rent.

"It’s important we keep our rent down because every one of those is looking for money too."

Ideally they would love to have a bigger space to be a "one stop shop" for community groups, board trustee Peter Bond said.

"In an ideal world, all the organisations would be in one spot. People could come to one spot and have lots of space.

"But, at the moment we’re here in this building and we’re doing the best we can."

Mr Cottier agreed.

"We’ve tried to look for alternative premises but there’s just nothing suitable at the present stage."

They have been offered the old RSA building in Itchen St but legislation was holding that up, Mr Bond said.

"The day the RSA becomes available for that sort of thing is somewhere in the future once parliamentary legislation is passed — and that doesn’t seem to happening in the near future."

The community house also offers justice of the peace services and access to free legal advice once a week.

It also has two meeting rooms and a permanent room available to rent. It is suitable for up to two people.