A new charity in Christchurch is building homes with a purpose - it is aiming to donate the profit from sales to local charities supporting disadvantaged youth.
Karen and Cole Askew have been able to benefit four charities with a new foundation they have set up. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
The initiative is the brainchild of Cole Askew who is a director of family-led house building company, Freedom Built.
Wanting to raise funds to give back to the community and support children in poverty within the region, Askew and his mother, Karen, created the Launch Foundation.
Its purpose is to "help underprivileged youth in the Canterbury region. We thought it would be cool to set something up at a grassroots level. Helping to fund where government weren't looking at or helping with," Cole Askew said.
Thanks to 50 companies providing heavily discounted building materials, they built and sold a house in Christchurch earlier this year and all up about 100 people contributed to building and kitting out the home in the Selwyn district.
The three bedroom, one bathroom and an ensuite, new build was sold to first home buyers and the sale generated a profit of more than $200,000.
The money will be equally divided between their four chosen charities.
One of the charities benefiting is Aviva, a family violence and sexual assault support agency.
It has been humbling to be chosen, general manager Gwenda Kendrew said.
"The bulk of the money we want to put towards our youth programmes - to be able to get the resources whether that's staffing, materials or venues to run them. They are going to be longer term and will hopefully have a really good impact."
After meeting Kendrew and hearing all about Aviva, Karen Askew said they had to support them.
"I think Aviva was one of the first charities that we came across... helping children through family and sexual violence.... so it was a no-brainer."
Now the house has been built there are plans for a second next year. Karen Askew is asking other businesses and construction industry leaders to join them.
"We'd really like to challenge other building companies to do the same and we're very happy if they want to approach us as to how we set up the charity or we can show them how to set up their own.
"As much as it's a housing crisis it's been a real boom for housing companies so it is a perfect time to reach into their pockets and help out," she said.