Warwick Uniting Church submits affordable housing plan to Southern Downs Regional Council

A proposed plan to use vacant land in the Southern Downs for affordable housing has been submitted, in an effort to help solve Warwick’s housing crisis.

A new project has been proposed in an effort to provide housing relief to Warwick and alleviate stress on the rental market.

The plan, masterminded by Warwick Uniting Church, will provide a total of 14 units for at risk people in both Warwick and Killarney and has been submitted to Southern Downs Regional Council for approval.

The move, which will use existing and unused church land to build private units, comes at a time when many are finding it impossible to find an affordable rental close to the Warwick CBD.

The current proposal will create 10 affordable units at Warwick, accessible via both Guy and Stacey streets, and four at Killarney accessible via Eucalyptus St.

Planning documents provided to Warwick Daily News reveals the 10 unit plan accessed from Guy Street.

It’s part of a wider plan the church is implementing to give back to the community, with a team of volunteers keen to use whatever skills they have to make the vision come to life, from carpentry to design.

Warwick Uniting Church Reverend Ansie Liebenberg said she realised there was a real issue with housing in Warwick when it literally approached her doorstep.

“We had a homeless person living on our doorstep with his tent for eight months, and our congregation befriended him, this was part of our journey to discovering the human story behind homelessness and the challenges that people facing those conditions experience,” Reverend Liebenberg said.

Rev Ansie Liebenberg with Margaret Wells of the Warwick Uniting Church (Photo: file)

“We’ve discovered in our encounters there’s a whole world out there that’s growing and increasing in need and we can’t keep silent about that, pretend we don’t see it and we can’t just step over the beggar at the door because we don’t want to encounter it.”

During planning to create and fund Protea Place Warwick, the church had identified that affordable housing would be a major issue for the region.

“We discovered most of the places that are ‘affordable’ to rent are in remote areas outside of town, like the dam, and we wondered how people in that category would have access to services which we all rely on,” she said.

Proposed unit development on Eucalyptus Street, Killarney

“We felt like the properties we own are strategically placed and have been gifted to us through generations passed and our responsibility is to ensure the gift continues to give and service the community.”

Reverend Liebenberg said being situated across from Warwick Magistrate Court, as well as hearing stories related to domestic violence and homelessness from members of the community, has shown the increasing struggles people in Warwick face.

“It is an opportunity for good people and the church to participate in the community like it was intended and make a difference. Together we can all do it, not one of us can do it on our own,” she said.

The group are expecting a response on the proposal in August.