Home in Place has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Fiji Public Rental Board to share best practice approaches to housing policy, development and management and identify future collaboration opportunities.

The MOU, signed in the presence of Fiji high commissioner to Australia His Excellency Ajay Bhai Amrit, signifies a commitment by the two organisations to work together to improve housing outcomes and address common challenges in the housing sector. They will benefit from each other’s expertise and experiences through regular meetings, workshops and site visits.

Home in Place group managing director Greg Budworth said the partnership is a significant opportunity for both organisations. Mr Budworth said the relationship developed through Home in Place’s participation in the Pacific Urban Partnership.

He said Home in Place’s collaboration with the Fiji Public Rental Board can support the Vuvale Partnership agreement signed by the Australian and Fijian governments in 2019.

“The construction and management of housing is a vehicle for helping young people to get skills,” Mr Budworth said.

“We want to reinforce how important housing is to Fiji’s urbanisation, particularly climate change resilient housing,” he said.

“Home in Place and the Fiji Public Rental Board can learn from each other, share and adopt innovative new ideas, and collectively work towards our common goal of people having access to adequate and affordable housing,”

“Through this peer-to-peer exchange, we can gain valuable insights and develop new strategies that will benefit the communities we serve.”

“It sets the foundation for potential future joint projects, research initiatives, and capacity-building activities.”

Fiji Public Rental Board general manager Timoci Naleba echoed Mr Budworth’s sentiments. He said a major issue Fiji is addressing is housing for people, particularly young people, moving from rural to urban areas. The government is developing a public private partnership to build approximately 3,000 affordable housing units across six sites in Central and Western divisions of Fiji.

“This agreement marks a significant step in our efforts to enhance housing policies and practices in Fiji,” Mr Naleba said.

By collaborating with Home in Place, we aim to exchange knowledge and experiences that will help us tackle housing challenges more effectively,” he said.

“We look forward to exploring future opportunities for cooperation and implementing best practices that can lead to better housing for our citizens.”

During a four day visit, Mr Naleba and members of the Board are meeting Home in Place staff and visiting its Central Coast community hub, as well as Specialist Disability Accommodation and social and affordable housing properties in the Hunter.

Home in Place is one of the largest non-government housing providers in the Asia Pacific, managing more than 8,000 properties in Australia and New Zealand. The Fiji Public Rental Board was established in 1989 to provide transitional rental housing accommodation to low-income families. It has 1,753 flats at 20 estates Fiji wide and plans to expand its rental housing stock.