‘Families sleeping on riverbanks’: Critical Far North housing crunch

Families are sleeping in cars on riverbanks across the Tablelands as a dire Far North housing crisis extends across the region.

FAMILIES are sleeping in cars on riverbanks at Malanda and Ravenshoe as the Far North housing crisis extends across the region.

While there are some 2,000 families on the state social housing register in Cairns, there’s a further 1650 on the waiting list across the Tablelands.

Mareeba Community Housing manager Patricia Goldfinch said state government initiatives would “not make a dent” in the list.

The State Government is spruiking its $1bn Housing Investment Fund, which it says calls on the property sector, institutional investors, and local governments to team up with the community housing sector to deliver up to 3,600 social houses across the state.

Mareeba Community Housing manager Patricia Goldfinch says the region is in crisis. Picture: Bronwyn Farr.

The Department of Housing says there are 128 homes currently being built in Cairns and work on a further 234 social homes will start by June 2025 in a $74.9m spend.

“This is a real time of need in our community and families facing homelessness deserve a place to call home,” Ms Goldfinch said.

Her organisation is housing people in hotel rooms and caravan parks with few affordable rental properties on the market.

“It’s really difficult with limited options so people are sleeping in their cars – we have a mother and daughter camping in their car at Malanda and a family at Ravenshoe camping by the river,” she said.

“Public housing is a very rare commodity, we just haven’t had a lot of stock being built.

“We are looking at putting some projects together with grants and opportunities under state government initiatives but even if we successfully got 10 to 15 dwellings, it is not going to make a dent in the list, the situation is critical,” Ms Goldfinch said.

“The domestic violence shelter at Atherton is struggling to transition clients anywhere with a lack of rentals, let alone the cost.”

Ms Goldfinch said properties for rent under $250 were very scarce and anything beyond that was out of reach for youth allowance or jobseeker recipients on $580 per fortnight.

She said many in crisis were people who had come to the Far North under the illusion it would be easier to get housing.

“There’s a real opportunity right now for state and local government and housing providers to look at increasing the supply of affordable housing,” Ms Goldfinch said.

Originally published as ‘Families sleeping on riverbanks’: Critical Far North housing crunch