Alarming new figures highlight Gympie’s growing housing crisis

With 150 applications for social housing in Gympie - 147 of those urgent - the Housing Department is showing signs of life, with construction almost completed on a five-bedroom house and two duplex units, and more on the way.

There are 150 “applications” for social housing in Gympie and a wait of more than two years for most of those people, the Queensland Council of Social Services has revealed two weeks out from the State’s Housing Summit.

The Communities, Housing and Digital Economy Department responded this week to the alarming figures by saying the Qld Government was investing $2.9 billion in social and affordable housing, which would increase the social and affordable housing supply by almost 10,000 by 2027.

Under QuickStarts Qld, 175 new homes will be built in the Wide Bay Burnett region (which includes Gympie) through a budgeted investment of $53.8 million to June 2025, supporting more than 169 full-time equivalent jobs, a department spokesperson said.

“These commencements in the Wide Bay Burnett region include planned construction of a social housing project in Gympie, which will include 10 one-bedroom and four two-bedroom units,” they said.

The devastating February 2022 Gympie flood exacerbated an already bad situation with housing in the region.

“Construction is also due to complete on a five-bedroom detached house and two, two-bedroom duplex units in late October which will provide new homes for 3 families in Gympie.

“This is in addition to the 75 new social homes in the Wide Bay Burnett region that are already commenced under the Queensland Housing Strategy 2017–2027.”

The Gympie Times has joined neighbouring NewsCorp mastheads over the past 12 months in campaigning to highlight and hold to account all three levels of government that have failed to recognise and try to avert this worsening crisis.

The unfolding tragedy continues to be a political hot potato, with the federal and most local government insisting for too long it was a state issue.

The NewsCorp mastheads of the Wide Bay have run a long campaign to hold government account for the worsening housing and homelessness crisis in the region.

The spokesperson said Gympie Regional Council had drafted a Local Housing Action Plan, in development with the State Government, to help guide housing responses in the Gympie region.

“In the wake of the floods in February, we identified the Gympie Caravan Park, which had been closed for some time, could be used for temporary accommodation,” the spokesperson said.

“We have leased the caravan park and this is being used to help people who have been displaced by the flooding. We’ll continue to work with the community to provide appropriate solutions as their needs change.

“The park will provide 24 short-term, one, two, three and four-bedroom units of accommodation across the site. There are currently 16 households living on site.

“While social housing has historically been considered the only type of housing that could resolve people’s housing needs, the department continues to help more Queenslanders with other forms of housing assistance, including products and services to access the private rental market, including RentConnect, Bond Loans and Rental Grants.

Old Gympie caravan park has been transformed into a housing for residents displaced by the February 2022 floods. Mayor Glen Hartwig and Minister Leeanne Enoch with staff on the site.

“In 2021-22, we provided almost 200,000 forms of housing assistance to Queensland households, including emergency housing, social housing, and private market assistance and homelessness services.”

Anyone who needs housing assistance can contact their local Housing Service Centre during business hours or call the 24/7 Homeless Hotline on 1800 474 753.

Figures compiled by QCOSS show the waiting time for social housing in the Gympie region has gone up from 11.1 months in 2017, to 25.1 months in July 2022.

Old Gympie caravan park has been transformed into a housing for residents displaced by the February 2022 floods.

QCOSS CEO Aimee McVeigh said of 150 applications for social housing in the Gympie region, 147 included people who were assessed as being in high or very high housing need.

“More than 60 applications include a person with a disability and there are 28 single parent households.

“Gympie has been one of the worst-affected regions by flooding over this past year, and this has had a terrible effect on housing availability in the area.

“Residents are sleeping in cars and in swags and on couches across the region, while women and children have been staying in domestic violence situations, because there is nowhere else to go.

“These Gympie residents need solutions now, and the area needs more social housing to act as a safety net for people in the future.

“In two weeks’ time, we will be sitting down with the Queensland Government, local councils, industry bodies, and community services across the state to discuss the housing crisis,” McVeigh said.

Two weeks out from the state Housing Summit, new figures show the waiting time for social housing in the Gympie region has gone up from 11.1 months in 2017, to 25.1 months in July this year.

“Building more social housing across regional Queensland, including towns like Gympie is crucial if we are going to solve this crisis.

“We have also called on the Queensland Government to ensure regional Queensland is included in the Housing Summit.”

There are currently more than 45,000 people waiting for social housing across Queensland.

QCOSS is calling for 5000 new social homes to be built across Queensland every year for the next 10 years, for the State Government to invest more of its Housing Investment Fund in social housing, and for a plan that is fit for purpose to be introduced for the entire state.

Gympie residents can support this call by going to the Town of Nowhere website.

The State Department of Housing has been contacted.

Originally published as Alarming new figures highlight Gympie’s growing housing crisis