‘It’s horrendous’: Housing crisis forces Tablelands families to live in tents

Tents have been sent to the Atherton Tablelands in an extreme bid to get a roof over the head of homeless families now forced into caravan parks. HOW THE CRISIS GOT THIS BAD

TENTS have been sent to the Atherton Tablelands in an extreme bid to get any kind of roof over the head of homeless families now forced into caravan parks by a worsening housing crisis.

The dire situation on the Tablelands is matched in Cairns where almost 5750 clients were in need of specialist homelessness services in 2022.

And of those that are fortunate enough to find accommodation amid a 0.5 per cent vacancy rate 40 per cent of the local population is paying more than 30 per cent of their household budget on private rent.

A homeless man sleeps on a park bench at the Cairns Esplanade lagoon.

Ahead of national homeless week beginning on August 1, Queensland Council of Social Service (QCOSS) representatives will visits Cairns on Friday to discuss the FNQ housing crisis.

St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland vice-president Dennis Innes said soaring rents and a housing shortage was at its worst throughout Far North Queensland.

“In Cairns, people are being presented with new leases where their rent has gone up $80 a week or $100 a week – they are really struggling,” Mr Innes said.

“The vacancy rate in Cairns is down to about 0.5 per cent. You simply can’t go out and rent – it’s horrendous.

“In Atherton, when there simply wasn’t any housing available, the Diocese of Far North Queensland got together and got as many tents as we possibly could.

“We sent them up to Atherton so that when mothers were presenting with three kids, at least we could pay to put them into a caravan park.

“We know caravan parks are not ideal as a long-term solution, but it is better than having mums (and dads) and children, sleeping in cars, at least they have got access to shower and toilets.”

Lee Maynard, her partner Tommy Vucetit and their daughter Claudia Vucetic, 13, have found themselves homeless with their dog Sparticus after they moved out from their rental of seven years. Picture: Brendan Radke

A Queensland Audit Office report released earlier this month found Cairns residents are waiting almost two years for social housing.

QCOSS figures show the number of applications for social housing almost doubled in four years, from 1103 in 2017 to 1996 in 2021, while 3738 people reported to specialist homelessness services in the area for help during 2021.

The organisation has partnered with St Vincent de Paul Society to launch a campaign aimed at putting pressure on government to fix the housing crisis.

Queensland Council of Social Service chief executive Aimee McVeigh. Picture David Clark

QCOSS chief executive Aimee McVeigh said the Far North desperately needed greater investment in low cost housing.

“Pressure on Cairns’ housing stock is increasing each month,” she said.

“A significant increase in funding is required, together with practical and supportive policy settings across all levels of government.”

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Originally published as ‘It’s horrendous’: Housing crisis forces Tablelands families to live in tents