Social housing Qld: Register culled by 7k despite increase in people in need

As Department of Housing show an increase in the number of Queenslanders needing a home, more than 7000 applicants have been removed from the social housing register.

Housing Minister Leeanne Enoch. Picture: Richard Walker

More than 7000 applicants were removed from the social housing register, with more than half of those scrubbed off the list due to being uncontactable by the department.

Data from the state government, first reported by The Courier-Mail on Wednesday, showed the total number of applicants in need of a public home had decreased by more than 2000 by June 30 compared to the previous financial year – a drop of 7.6 per cent.

But the figures also revealed the Department of Housing had assisted in providing a home for 5000 applicants, meaning the number of Queenslanders in need of a home had increased.

Under interrogation from the Opposition at budget estimates, Director-General Mark Cridland confirmed there had been more than 7300 applicants removed from the register with 3620 scrubbed for being non-contactable by the department.

One of Brisbane’s newest completed social housing project, a 42 unit development in Windsor. Picture: Richard Walker

Other reasons offered for removing applicants included no longer being eligible, no longer needing a house and other reasons such as not showing up for appointments with the department.

“There were more applications removed from the register than added,” Mr Cridland admitted.

“There was also 5000 houses assisted in, so it’s a very dynamic and responsive register that changes everyday.”

Opposition housing spokesman Tim Mander criticised the state government for promoting a reduction in the number of applicants when more than 6600 were added to the register over the year.

“When they’re bragging about how they’ve reduced the social housing waiting list, they’ve done that primarily by culling the list,” he told reporters.

Queensland Council of Social Service chief executive Aimee McVeigh said despite the interrogation into the numbers, the public “can see with their own eyes that we’re in the grips of an unabating housing crisis”.

“Most people know someone who’s been affected by the crisis and we know there’s currently around 300,000 Queenslanders with unmet housing need,” she told The Courier-Mail.

“What the Queensland government should be focused on is making sure that they have a plan to deliver sufficient housing for our current and growing population.

“We don’t have anywhere near enough investment into social and affordable housing.

“So rather than focus on removing people from the register because they can’t contact them, government should be focused on supplying enough housing based on the need that we know exists in the community.”

Originally published as Social housing Qld: Register culled by 7k despite increase in people in need