Sunshine Coast affordable housing project revealed amid rising prices

Thousands of people are searching for social or affordable housing across the region and now a modular home business owner has revealed his solution in a regional-first project. Find out more here

A small business man has come up with a region-first solution to the social housing crisis as the Federal Government reiterates increasing home ownership would combat soaring rental costs.

Modular home business Eco Cottages owner Greg Phipps has proposed a 33-home social housing park for a 2.4ha Noosa hinterland block with sustainable and safe housing for families, elderly women and essential workers.

The move comes as the latest Queensland Government figures show more than 1700 applications are currently waiting for social housing on the Sunshine Coast while governments dispute who should fund and build new accommodation to manage the growing waitlist.

The analysis also shows more than 2800 people are waiting on average almost three years with the majority single people or single parent families.

The Sunshine Coast Daily has launched the Locked Out campaign to put the spotlight on the affordable housing crisis in the region.

Housing affordability is shaping up as a hot federal election topic.

However, Fairfax MP Ted O’Brien and Fisher MP Andrew Wallace said housing ownership was at its highest level in 15 years.

“Beyond the rental sector, home ownership is also now within reach for thousands of single parent families, young people and first homeowners thanks to initiatives like HomeBuilder, the First Home Super Saver Scheme and the First Home Guarantee,” Mr Wallace said.

Mr Phipps said the housing situation had reached a “serious and dangerous” level and held concern for the “lack of on the ground action now”.

Eco Cottages managing director Greg Phipps wants to build 33 modular homes at Cooroy to help provide a solution to the region's social and affordable housing crisis. Picture: Patrick Woods.

“Those of us working in the building industry, councils and other community organisations have a moral obligation to do whatever we can now to help those in need of somewhere safe and affordable to live,“ Mr Phipps said.

His application pending Noosa Shire Council approval stated three of the homes would be donated to a not-for-profit social housing provider and the remainder sold or leased to Coast2Bay and St Vincent de Paul.

“It became really obvious to me when people were coming to us in tears about the current situation with rents going through the roof,” Mr Phipps said.

“I was so overwhelmed by the seriousness of the situation so we put together the proposed project at Carpenters Rd.”

“I had one lady who came into our factory about a year ago looking for affordable accommodation who rang us again recently in tears, she’s in her mid 60s and has nowhere to live.”

Mr Phipps also proposes to bitumen the dirt road at a cost of about $3m and build a fence along the boundary to its adjoining neighbour, who provided a letter of support.

Property values on the Sunshine Coast rose 22 per cent in the last 12 months with the average house valued at $850,000.

CoreLogic estimated the region’s housing value would rise eight per cent each year for the next 12 years in the lead up to the Olympic Games.

Mr Phipps hoped his plans could be used as a pilot study for future social housing projects.

He said there would be 13 two-bedroom and 20-one bedroom cypress timber small modular homes built on the Carpenters Rd, Cooroy, block.

They would be individually fenced for privacy, child safety and pets and fitted with custom furniture made from recycled materials.

The project would have a net zero energy footprint with solar power connected to a single grid that would export any additional power.

The need for social housing was highlighted in Noosa Council‘s Housing Needs Assessment report where Mayor Clare Stewart said opportunities were limited and further action was needed.

Eco Cottages managing director Greg Phipps said the Cooroy project would help create job opportunities for apprentice carpenters. Pictured is apprentice carpenter Rachel Stewart. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Mr O’Brien said the property boom combined with increased cost of living pressures was stretching household budgets and making it difficult to find affordable accommodation.

He said in recent years he had delivered $500,000 for a men’s homeless shelter in Nambour and $2.9m for the Coast2Bay Housing project to build safe spaces for women and children escaping domestic violence.

He also announced $790,834 to support a youth homelessness project in Nambour this week.

Mr O’Brien said the 2022 budget included lifting the government-guaranteed liability cap of the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation by $2 billion, to $5.5 billion, increasing the low-cost financing it provides to community housing providers for affordable housing.

The funding came on top of a $500 million boost supporting 2500 dwellings announced in December.

When asked about initiatives to support social housing Mr O’Brien and Fisher MP Andrew Wallace said housing ownership was at its highest level in 15 years.

“Beyond the rental sector, home ownership is also now within reach for thousands of single parent families, young people and first homeowners thanks to initiatives like HomeBuilder, the First Home Super Saver Scheme and the First Home Guarantee,” Mr Wallace said.

“I am especially proud of the Family Home Guarantee, which guarantees eligible single-parent families with as little as a 2 per cent deposit. These programs were expanded to 2025 in the 2022-23 Budget.”

Labor’s Fisher candidate Judene Andrews said Prime Minister Scott Morrison was “disconnected” from issues facing renters on the Sunshine Coast.

“When Morrison was asked about people struggling with rising rental prices, he told renters to ‘buy a house’,” Ms Andrews said.

“There is a shortfall of 6400 of social housing dwellings in the Sunshine Coast electorates of Fairfax and Fisher, which has led to an average wait time of ten years for some of the most vulnerable members of our community.”

Labor’s Fairfax candidate Sue Ferguson said Labor would create a $10bn Housing Australia Future Fund to build 30,000 new social and affordable housing properties in its first five years.

Originally published as Sunshine Coast affordable housing project revealed amid rising prices