Gold Coast homelessness advocates disappointed as Budget 2022-23 gives no new funds for housing crisis
Almost 5000 people across the city are desperate for social housing - but Gold Coast homelessness advocates have been left bitterly disappointed by the latest budget.
Gold Coast
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NO EXTRA money will be spent tackling the Gold Coast’s worsening housing crisis even as almost 5000 people across the city wait for social housing.
The state government announced as part of Tuesday’s 2022-23 State Budget it would continue its Housing and Homelessness Action Plan.
The $1.9bn plan was first announced in 2021, with $441.3 million allocated for 2022-23. Of that $46.1m will go to the Gold Coast.
Vinnies Gold Coast Regional President Garry Webb said he was frustrated by the announcement as city residents continue to struggle.
“There was nothing new,” he said.
“There was a re-announcement of last year’s budget.
“I get members that are so upset that we refer people to the appropriate area and there’s nowhere for them to go, there’s no funding.”
A Bulletin investigation in mid-2021 revealed 1455 homes and $496 million were needed to stem a “tsunami” of homelessness across the city.
In May 2022 there were 4971 people waiting for social housing from 3122 applications.
Children were included in 725 of those applications.
Asked about the lack of new social housing funds on Tuesday, Mr Dick said: “The problem of affordable housing is not just with the (state government), it is a problem around the country.
“We’re pulling the levers we need to pull as a government to deliver.
“But the truth of the matter is 95 per cent of people don’t live in social and affordable housing.
“They live in housing built in the private sector and on that front it’s a very positive outlook for Queensland.”
Queensland Council of Social Services CEO Aimee McVeigh said if the state government was able to build more hospitals, it should also be able to build more social housing.
“In the middle of a housing crisis and escalating cost-of-living pressures, the state government must provide sustained funding and build more social homes faster,” she said.
“The government has acknowledged every Queenslander deserves a safe home to live in and that social housing is meant to be a safety net and yet we have more than 50,000 people (statewide) waiting for a home on the social housing register.”
The Gold Coast last month hit a record low for rental vacancies at just 0.4 per cent citywide.
Just 173 social housing bedrooms have been built in the Gold Coast catchment since 2017.
Coast CEOs raise $520k+ for homelessness in annual sleepout
CITY leaders will swap their warm bed for a piece of cardboard as they brave the elements for the annual Vinnies CEO Sleepout on Thursday night.
CEOs will camp out on the ground at Cbus Super Stadium, raising funds for housing and homelessness services through St Vincent de Paul.
Sleepout ambassador and Gold Coast CEO Karen Phillips said: “Particularly in the last two years we’ve seen an enormous rise in homelessness and people sleeping rough across our city.
“It’s almost unthinkable that this is happening.”
The event raised $9.3 million nationwide in 2021.
Multiple high-profile Gold Coasters have signed on for the event, including Village Roadshow bosses Clark Kirby and Bikash Randhawa, Southport MP Rob Molhoek and Gold Coast Bulletin general manager Belinda Dawes.
More than $520,000 has been raised by Gold Coast CEOs so far.
The sleep-out starts at 5.30pm Thursday.
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