Villages of modular homes immediate solution to crisis, advocacy says

A leading homeless advocacy group has called on the government to work with industry on a plan to ease the state’s housing crisis.

Villages built from modular homes could provide immediate relief to Queensland’s housing crisis, according to a leading homeless advocacy group.

Q Shelter said the advancements in the quality of modular homes had prompted a surge of interest from industry leaders who insist the rapid pace of the housing format would be valuable for the critical housing supply shortfall.

Executive director Fiona Caniglia said: “The cost of construction and the time that construction takes for new homes is a significant barrier to addressing the needs of people right now who are homeless or who are living in poverty due to the cost of their housing.”

The Queensland housing summit, to be held on Thursday in response to The Courier-Mail’s campaign Hitting Home, had triggered construction figures to spruik the production capacity of the small homes, according to Ms Caniglia.

“We need to be partnering with this part of the construction industry to identify land that could be used now to assist, as well as consider how high-quality modular homes can be part of Queensland’s housing future,” she said.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will host the state’s housing summit on Thursday. Picture: John Gass/NCA NewsWire

“There will be concerns about quality and we need to maintain housing standards so that people are safe, and communities are confident about quality and amenity.

“It is vital that scaling up modular home options either in villages or as gentle in-fill development occurs within a regulatory framework that achieves high quality outcomes.”

Ms Caniglia called on the state government to follow the lead of counterparts in South Australia and Tasmania to engage with industry and adopt formal programs to incorporate modular homes in the suburbs.

“It is one example of why partnerships across State and Local Government, private industry and the not-for-profit sector are vital,” she said.

“There are philanthropists proposing modular home solutions as well, and Q Shelter is encouraging dialogue to identify how a pipeline of this housing can play a part in solving Queensland’s housing crisis.”

The plea comes after the Palaszczuk government last month amended planning laws to allow Queenslanders to lease out granny flats.

Deputy Premier and Planning Minister Steven Miles said the change would remove restrictions on people who could live in secondary dwellings, expected to create homes for thousands of Queenslanders.

“Many homeowners have granny flats that they’ve built or converted for family members or teenagers who have since moved out,” he said.

“It just makes sense to allow existing accommodation to be occupied by someone other than a relative to provide more affordable accommodation for Queenslanders.”

Modular homes could be a short-term solution to the housing crisis.