Cost of living: Cairns and Tully support groups call for housing relief to ease living pressures

There has been a rise in referrals to Far North community support centres from locals doing it tough with everyday costs – this is what the region is struggling with.

Access to housing is the greatest cause of cost of living pressure for Far Northerners with reports some residents are spending up to 80 per cent of their income keeping a roof over their heads.

Community support groups say there are an increasing number of presentations to their organisations including “many of whom have never needed support for living expenses before” and many who were also seeking finance management assistance.

Centacare FNQ acting executive director Chris Warner said single parents, pensioners, and young adults were feeling the cost of living pinch most acutely.

“Our frontline community services are seeing a rise in referrals for emergency relief, financial and budgeting counselling, housing and homelessness support, and mental health services,” Mr Warner said.

Centacare FNQ acting executive director Chris Warner said single parents, pensioners, and young adults were feeling the cost of living pinch most acutely.

“Housing support is a significant area of need, with many struggling to find or maintain stable, affordable housing amid rising costs.”

Mr Warner said many residents were also seeking help with support applications as they navigated the difficulties of “the system” to access aid.

He said “several policies” merited discussion to ease cost of living pressures – calling for rental affordability measures to be at the forefront.

“Particularly a review of rent assistance for vulnerable groups. This could include increasing rent assistance payments and implementing rent caps or controls to prevent excessive rent hikes.”

Access to housing is the greatest cause of cost of living pressure for Far Northerners. New homes at Smithfield Village. Picture: Brendan Radke

The state’s rental legislation limits the frequency of increases to one per year, per property but does not cap the price.

Mr Warner also called for the expansion of emergency relief funding, for which the state government has allocated $3.3m for 2024-25, and he called for an increase in investments in affordable housing projects.

On the Cassowary Coast Tully general manager Shane Greenwood said housing insecurity was proving a significant barrier, with reports of older residents paying up to 80 per cent of their income for accommodation.

He too said the cost of living crisis was affecting community members who may not have needed to access supports before.

“(This includes the) working homeless – individuals and families who are employed and have sufficient income to afford a property but cannot find one,” Mr Greenwood said.

With a critical shortage of public housing in Cairns and the price of rent for private homes increasing, the disadvantaged and those on welfare payments are finding it increasingly difficult to get safe accomodation. A tent belonging to a homeless person is set up in a reserve off Minnie Street in Cairns. Picture: Brendan Radke

“Overcrowding – there’s families unable to afford accommodation and cost of living increases alone, so we’ve got two or three families in a house.

“And trapped domestic family violence victim-survivors – forced to stay in a violent relationship due to the lack of available housing.”

The Department of Housing has lodged a development application for permission to build 490 social and affordable homes in Woree in what could be Queensland’s largest social and affordable housing precinct. Picture: Supplied

Earlier this year it was revealed the state government had spent $3.6m on hotel rooms for homeless people, and funding for homelessness services had increased from $1.85m in 2015 to $41.3m in 2023-24.

On Friday the state government announced it was constructing two, two-bedroom homes at Mareeba for $935,000 as part of its scheme to build 1 million homes by 2046.

Meanwhile, an approved project to construct 490 social and affordable homes at Woree’s old Cairns Coral Drive-In site attracted an infrastructure waiver from the local government, however is now awaiting funding through the Housing Investment Fund.

Originally published as Cost of living: Cairns and Tully support groups call for housing relief to ease living pressures