Delivering affordable homes through efficient finance

CHFA is New Zealand’s specialist lender for community and affordable housing providers.

We provide access to scalable, efficient, long-term finance that is critical to the delivery of affordable homes. From concept to completion, CHFA works with our borrowers to provide them with the finance they need to succeed.

As part of a social enterprise model, CHFA operates with lower margins and a funding model designed specifically for the community housing sector.

With the support of a Crown Standby Facility of up to $150 million and long-term partnerships with capital markets and impact investors, we connect community and affordable housing providers to finance that is consistently more efficient – freeing up resources to deliver more affordable homes, faster.

We also work closely with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and understand the unique funding opportunities that are available from the government, to help more affordable homes be delivered.

What we finance

We provide loans to eligible community and affordable housing providers that meet our governance, financial, security and operational standards.

Our focus is primarily with organisations that require at least $3 million or more of lending.

Borrowers are typically charities, with a focus on delivering affordable housing for a social purpose. We work with organisations nationwide, as we acknowledge the housing crisis is a nationwide issue. Community and affordable housing providers we work with come from a range of backgrounds, including iwi, housing, health, disability and faith backgrounds.

We do not provide loans to individuals.

Loans can be used for:

New builds and acquisitions: to build or purchase new affordable homes. This is typically for homes that will be used as social or community housing, including Public Housing, affordable rentals and/or as part of Progressive Home Ownership programmes, with the borrowing organisation typically receiving funding and/or grant support from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.

Refinancing: to replace existing loans with more efficient finance.

Portfolio growth: to expand housing supply, while keeping repayments sustainable.

Our purpose is clear: to provide community and affordable housing providers with efficient, scalable finance – helping them to deliver more homes, while ensuring government funding achieves the greatest possible impact.

Partnering for housing impact

CHFA is purpose-built for community and affordable housing providers. We combine unmatched sector expertise with capital raised through our bond programme, supported by both committed investors and a Crown standby facility, to deliver efficient finance for housing projects across New Zealand.

Why CHPs choose us

Sector expertise:

We strive to be the lender of choice for the community housing sector and have deep experience with community and affordable housing and how the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development funds the sector.

Lower cost finance:

By pooling borrowing needs, CHFA raises capital efficiently – with the aspiration of reducing the cost of finance for CHPs and affordable housing providers.

Social enterprise:

We consciously operate on lower margins than other lenders, to help support our borrowers and help New Zealand deliver more affordable homes, more efficiently.

Proven track record:

New Zealand’s leading CHP lender, with nationwide reach.

Government support:

CHFA is supported by a Crown Standby Facility of up to $150 million, providing CHFA direct support, as we work collaboratively with the government to help more efficiently meet financing needs across the affordable housing sector.

100% Kiwi-owned and operated:

CHFA is a New Zealand organisation, focused solely on delivering better housing outcomes for New Zealand communities.

Stronger together:

By connecting philanthropists, fund managers, government funding and leading charities, CHFA supports the delivery of affordable housing at scale.

Lending criteria

CHFA understands both the opportunities and the risks in the community and affordable housing sector. We work with providers who have the proven capability, stability and commitment to deliver affordable homes at scale.

We focus on working with CHPs, and affordable housing providers, who are:

Well-governed, with strong financial management and a sustainable, scalable, operating model.

Financially secure, with a strong balance sheet and appropriate security, typically with long-term government funding agreements in place.

Committed to quality, with a demonstrated record of delivering homes and services to a high-standard, that meets community needs.

By partnering with leading community and affordable housing providers, CHFA builds long-term partnerships with its borrowers, working toward a shared goal of delivering quality affordable homes, while protecting the investors that support the sector.

Existing borrowers

CHFA works with many of New Zealand’s leading community and affordable housing providers with a reputation for delivering affordable homes and long-term positive community impact.

Some of our current borrowers include:

How to apply

For borrowing enquiries, please email contact@communityfinance.co.nz