3 April 2000

Matters arising from the Christchurch City Council’s Community Services Committee held today.

1. The City Council is considering buying a house to be used by women with children in crisis.

The Community Services Committee today recommended that the Council buy a house from the Housing Development Fund, and not from rates, for leasing to the Home and Family Society. The property would be valued at about $250,000 and the lease would be at 2 per cent of the capital value.

The society has offered emergency accommodation for women and their children since 1972 and the house used now no longer met the society’s needs.

The Council’s Property Manager, Rob Dally, told the committee that typically the women using the house would have significant health issues related to abuse or a history of drug or alcohol misuse.

Some women were under care and protection orders while others were referred to the society by hospitals.

A working party is to be set up to investigate the establishment of the Youth Council as a special committee of the council.

The Christchurch Youth Council was formed in 1970 to advise the City Council on youth issues. It membership and profile have varied over the years but today its membership is 22, aged 13 to 22.

The committee was told that a special committee would formalise the Youth Council and increase the status and credibility of it.

"It would clarify the status of the Youth Council and its relationships with the City Council and Council units," the committee was told by youth advocate Robyn Moore.

If a special committee was formed it must include a Councillor. It would report directly to the Council.