A decision by the Trust Board of the New Zealand AIDS Foundation to purchase the Auckland property where its National Office is housed will benefit the community, says NZAF Board Chair Hoani Jeremy Lambert. The purchase will provide an extra floor's worth of space - currently unoccupied - which could be leased by the Foundation to gay and/or HIV-positive support groups, or used for counselling/testing facilities. Lambert is keen to stress that the decision is not contingent on recent discussions around the possible relocation of NZAF's counselling/testing facility, the Burnett Centre. “We believe this is the best decision in terms of the long-term financial sustainability of the Foundation's work,” Lambert says. “No gay or HIV-positive support organisation anywhere in the country owns a building, so this will also provide a significant asset for our communities.” NZAF's lease on the property, located in Hargreaves St, expires this December. The building's current owners had indicated that a condition of the lease's renewal would require NZAF to pay for the unoccupied space on the top floor. “We were given the opportunity to purchase the building as an alternative,” Lambert explains. An offer will be made shortly, subject to the outcome of a building inspection. The deposit will be sourced from NZAF's Operating Reserves (which cannot be used for day-to-day expenses), grants, and targeted fundraising. “This will not have any impact on resources available for our prevention and support programmes,” Lambert says. “In fact, the reduction in capital payments should see an increase in funds available for services. We're very excited about the possibilties.” The separate issue of the increasing demand on services at the Burnett Centre, and the restricted space available at its current site will now be subject to a thorough assessment, says NZAF Executive Director Rachael Le Mesurier. “This process - which is entirely separate to the building purchase - will include staff, clients and the community. We expect to begin this in August.” Ref: NZAF (Press Release)