47,000 Queenslanders who don’t have a safe place to call home

A coalition of social service groups, builders and the property sector say the state’s social housing crisis is dire.

A coalition of social service groups, builders and the property sector have combined to urge the State Government to pour more money into supported housing to pull Queensland out of its current housing crisis, put roofs over the heads of 47,000 homeless Queenslanders and create jobs.

QCOSS’s Town of Nowhere campaign is calling on the state government to invest $4.1bn to build 14,700 social housing dwellings over the next five years.

QCOSS, Master Builders and the Property Council said only a massive push for new homes would end the growing homelessness crisis.

“For too long, we’ve been using emergency sandbags against what is a tsunami of need. Investment at its current pace is simply not meeting demand,” QCOSS CEO Aimee McVeigh said.

“There are 47,000 Queenslanders who do not have a safe place to call home tonight. With record numbers of interstate migration and record low vacancy rates, the Queensland Government must act on the housing crisis”.

QCOSS CEO Aimee McVeigh. Picture: Richard Gosling

Master Builders Queensland deputy chief executive officer Paul Bidwell urged the state government to put more money into social and affordable housing in next month’s Budget.

“We have seen first-hand the economic benefits from HomeBuilder, the state government’s Regional Home Building boost grant and the Works for Tradies program put in place to help our state recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19,” Mr Bidwell said.

“It’s vital the Queensland Government continues to support Queenslanders, ensuring they have a roof over their heads with an injection of capital for a range of social and affordable housing.

“We know that for every $1 million of spending on residential construction, nine full time jobs are created, and an additional $2.9 million of economic activity is generated, making our industry the heartbeat of our economy.”

Master Builders Deputy CEO Paul Bidwell. Picture: Tertius Pickard

Investing in social and affordable housing should be one of the highest priorities for the State

Government, incoming Queensland Property Council executive director Jen Williams said.

“Queensland is facing a shortage of supply across the entire housing spectrum. Sadly we know that undersupply has a trickle down effect, so that those who are already the most vulnerable in the community are the most likely to be affected by a housing shortage.

“An investment in housing provides the dual benefits of significant job creation for the residential development sector, along with addressing the growing community need for government-assisted housing.

“The private sector, not-for-profits and the community housing sector have consistently called on government to tap into the capacity of their sectors to address the state’s prolonged underinvestment and the ever-increasing scale of demand for government-assisted housing.”

“Along with delivering new housing supply, Queensland must address the many existing government-owned premises that require significant maintenance, are too big or small for tenants, or do not meet accessibility requirements, meaning they are no longer fit for purpose.

“Programs like the Government’s Build-to-Rent pilot project are providing welcome opportunities for the delivery of affordable housing, however they are a drop in the ocean when it comes to the extent of community demand.

“Rather than ‘going it alone’ Government must look to partner with the private and community housing sectors to repurpose existing stock and deliver substantial new stock, as this will see every dollar of government investment multiplied.”