Whitsunday, Bowen housing crisis revealed after question in parliament

The Whitsunday region has no permanent emergency accommodation with housing for the homeless dependent largely on our tourism numbers, while Bowen has an even bigger risk. SPECIAL REPORT

Bowen Neighbourhood Centre had indicated the amount of people needing their services had more than tripled this year.

A question on notice has revealed the Whitsunday region has no permanent emergency accommodation for its residents, while the numbers of people in a precarious situation continues to increase.

But the state says this does not mean people are left to fend for themselves, with services receiving 20 per cent increase in funding.

Burdekin MP Dale Last had asked the question to housing minister Meaghan Scanlon on March 19, to provide figures on how many emergency units were funded through the Crisis Accomodation Program.

The response provided by the Minister indicated there were none funded across the Whitsundays, but that 15,773 nights of accommodation across Isaac, Whitsunday and Burdekin Local Government Areas were funded in the 2022-2023 financial year.

This comes as the Bowen Neighbourhood Centre had indicated the amount of people needing their services had more than tripled this year, while the numbers of people on waiting lists for social housing has increased in the past six months.

Burdekin MP Dale Last asked the Minister about how many emergency units funded.

NEED FOR 30 HOUSING PROPERTIES

Whitsunday Housing Company COO Joanne Moynihan said their services were currently helping 22 people across the region who were facing homelessness, which included 10 in Bowen, 8 in Airlie Beach and 4 in Proserpine.

Among those numbers was a young mum and her 1-year-old child who had been found living in a tent in Bowen, Mr Last had mentioned at a parliament sitting on April 16.

Whitsunday Housing Company COO Joanne Moynihan. Picture: LinkedIn

But actual homelessness would not be the only figure to worry about according to Mr Last, who said community providers had indicated there were almost 500 people in Bowen only, who “do not have suitable accommodation or are at risk of needing crisis accommodation”.

“Bowen desperately needs at least 30 additional social housing properties to cater for urgent cases and that number grows by the day,” the MP stated.

A spokeswoman for the Housing Minister said while the region does not have permanent facilities, people in need would not be left in the streets, but housed in hotels, motels or holiday apartments.

“Last year [ …] we responded to calls from the sector and have given local homelessness services a 20 per cent boost,” she said.

Figures from the last census do not cover homelessness in full, as they only take into consideration homelessness for people who identify as Indigenous, and date back to 2021 figures.

Minister for Housing Meaghan Scanlon. Picture: Nigel Hallett

CAPACITY TO HELP DEPENDENT ON TOURIST NUMBERS

Ms Moynihan said while services were currently experiencing an increase in demand, it could be due to the peak tourist season.

She said the absence of permanent premises meant case workers were dependant upon changing tourist flows, when trying to secure accommodation for someone in a holiday housing option, which could sometimes be booked out.

“It is also the fruit and veg picking season employing short term workers requiring accommodation [and] the majority of this has been pre-booked,” she said.

Ms Moynihan said case workers are sometimes unable to help everyone for various reasons, not just the impossibility to find accommodation, but find one suitable for people’s needs.

“Sometimes accommodation won’t take the pets,” she said adding this could be reason enough for people not to accept accommodation.

Under a Whitsunday Counselling and Support program, victims of domestic violence can sublease emergency accommodation when their situation could lead to homelessness, but this service is funded by the Department of the Attorney-General and is only available to those eligible.

It is understood there is currently four houses that can be subleased across the Whitsundays under that program.