Housing support package falls short for thousands on wait list
A landmark housing summit has failed to deliver hope for thousands of Cairns residents languishing on the social housing register, amid doubt that a Manoora social housing property destroyed by fire will be rebuilt.
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A landmark housing summit has failed to deliver hope for thousands of Cairns residents languishing on the social housing register, amid doubt that a Manoora social housing property destroyed by fire will be rebuilt.
According to the Queensland Council of Social Service, the state government’s Housing Summit Outcomes Report delivers short-term relief for Queenslanders living through the state’s housing crisis, however little has been done to get a significant number of Cairns residents off social housing register and into state-owned properties.
“The housing crisis in regional Queensland is acute. In Cairns, 3978 people are on the social housing register waiting for a home,” QCOSS chief executive Aimee McVeigh said.
“Rental affordability in regional Queensland is the worst in Australia and homelessness is growing rapidly.
“Last month’s Housing Summit saw some welcome announcements – including an extra $1bn for the Housing Investment fund – but this will only build 2800 houses in the next five years.
“To end the housing crisis, the Palaszczuk Government must increase supply of houses and exponentially increase the rate at which they have been building social and affordable homes.”
Sitting at an all-time peak in 2022, the average wait time for social housing in Cairns is 26.5 months or about two years.
According to the latest rental affordability index released this week, most areas of Cairns (excluding Palm Cove) have been graded as “acceptable” for families on an income of $100,000 per year ranging to Cairns being rated as “unaffordable” for pensioner couples in a two-bedroom unit with an income of $55,000.
The entire region is considered “extremely unaffordable” for a single person on benefits with an income of $20,000 a year.
While Shelter Housing Action Cairns executive officer Sally Watson welcomed a $56m support package announced by Annastacia Palaszczuk on Thursday, she stressed funding will fail to come “anywhere near the meeting the need”.
“(The Premier) recognised a need to keep people in rentals and (provide) more support workers and while we think it’s not a long-term solution we need it because there is no short term solution,” she said.
“We’re experiencing the highest demand in the 30 year history of the organisation.”
Funding worth $10m will expand the government’s private rental assistance products and services.
One less social housing property on the books is a three bedroom state-owned property at Jensen Street Manoora that was destroyed by fire on September 7.
No commitment has been forthcoming from the Department of Housing about rebuilding the home that has now been demolished.
“The department is assessing the most appropriate future usage of the site,” a spokeswoman said.
Already in motion in south east, Ms Watson has advanced the idea of repurposing unused government held buildings to provide low cost housing, however the pitch has met with some resistance.
“We have been pushing this with the state government and council to identify buildings,” she said.
“We have looked at the car park in Lake St and we have looked at Bunnings but we are not sure what the state holds that is not being used.”
The Housing Summit Outcomes Report follows a state government Housing Summit roundtable held in September to address a statewide crisis.
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