‘Not getting better’: Grave warning as renters put pressure on social housing

The increased pressure on the private rental market has had a flow-on effect on social housing, making the crisis much worse, with no end in sight, experts say.

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The increased pressure on the private rental market has pushed the social housing crisis to the brink, according to Queensland’s peak body for the social sector.

QCOSS chief executive Aimee McVeigh said the situation had worsened since the Auditor General’s report on social housing in 2022 and the Productivity Commission in January.

The Productivity Commission found Queensland’s net recurrent spend on social housing services was $130.33 per capita last financial year.

“One shows the state government is investing less than any other state and the other auditor demonstrating the current rate of investment bares no relationship to the demand,” Ms McVeigh said.

“What we can tell from those two reports because there is no relationships between what is being invested and what is needed we are not going to see things get better.

“It’s absolutely the case that things are not getting better.”

Homeless people living in tents at Musgrave Park. Picture: Matthew Poon

Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon said the same data showed Queensland was the only state in the country that increased public housing stock, which is housing the government owns.

Ms McVeigh said we simply didn’t have enough housing for the growing population and those in frontline services were telling her it was only getting worse, with fully employed people living in cars, tents and hotels.

Aimee McVeigh from QCSS says things will continue to get worse. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Glenn Campbell

“Older people are couch surfing, until we do have a plan, we know things will continue to get worse,” she said.

The pressure on the private rental market had a flow-on effect because those that can’t afford a private rental would try to get social housing which was already limited, she said.

“If you are on a low income and are struggling to find a place to rent either … that’s when you are going to be more likely to need it,” she said.

“A housing system that isn’t working well will put downward pressure on the social housing.

“What our organisations tell us is demand has never been higher, they are telling us they are seeing more people require emergency relief,”

St Vincent De Paul Queensland chief Executive Kevin Mercer said he agreed the situation was worse.

Kevin Mercer ceo St Vincent de Paul Qld. Picture: AAP/Steve Pohlner

“Crisis accommodation is full, that just means more people are sleeping rough. It just has a flow on effect. We’ve got to break that cycle somehow,” he said.

“It all comes back to ultimately building more housing in the long run.”

Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon said the budget provided cost-of-living measures like emergency relief and free kindy.

“This investment was just bolstered by $1.1 billion taking the total to $5 billion over the coming years,” she said.

“In the next financial year alone there is a 67 per cent increase in our capital investment compared to the previous year.

“While we deliver our big build we’re also providing assistance like rental grants and bond loans to keep people in the private market, as well as buying and leasing accommodation for people in the short-term.”