Northern Gold Coast suburbs see shock surge in homelessness

The number of people experiencing homelessness has soared in several Gold Coast suburbs, with charity workers saying rent hikes are having a massive impact. See the figures for every suburb.

A charity which works with homeless people on the Gold Coast says demand for its services has soared by more than 40 per cent in just the past 18 months.

Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics earlier this month show that at the time of the last census in August 2021 there were 1823 homeless people in the city.

However Lucas Patchett, CEO of Orange Sky which offers laundry and other services to people doing it tough, said demand had since soared amid skyrocketing living costs and huge jumps in rental prices.

“In the past 18 months the world has changed heaps,” Mr Patchett said “The cost of living and rental crisis is affecting (people), and the Gold Coast is a super-charged area for that.

“... New people are coming every week.”

Orange Sky co-founders Lucas Patchett and Nic Marchesi.

The charity, which is funded by private donations and corporate sponsors, has provided 6694 loads of free laundry and 1374 showers on the Gold Coast since census night, with demand for its services up 42 per cent.

In addition to a van which visits locations across the city it has added a laundry pod in Southport, which Mr Patchett said was one of its busiest locations in Australia.

“We are seeing lots more people accessing services,” he said.

“... You’ve got such a broad mix of people, you’ve got people who are sleeping rough, people who are in accommodation, people who are sleeping in cars and tents around the place, definitely some younger families and stuff as well so it’s a big mix.

“Homelessness doesn’t discriminate. So many people are impacted by it.”

Mr Patchett said the charity was also seeing people come to use their services who were managing to keep a roof over their head, but were doing it tough due to rising costs, while others had ended up without homes due to rent rises despite having good jobs to go to.

“I was on shift earlier this week and speaking to a fella who three months ago refused to pay the rent increase that his landlord put on him,” he said.

“He went for another place but couldn’t find anywhere and has since been living in his car.

“... He’s still working full time, he’s working as a truck driver, yet can’t find that stable accommodation. It’s a massive challenge.”

An Orange Sky laundry van.

The ABS statistics showed the problem of homelessness had grown most rapidly in the north of the city, with suburbs including Pimpama and Upper Coomera recording massive rises in numbers.

Those suburbs have also seen steep rises in rental costs. According to PropTrack data, the average weekly cost of renting a house in Pimpama has risen 40 per cent from $440 to $620 in the past three years.

Community Housing Industry Association CEO Wendy Hayhurst said urgent action was needed to improve access to affordable housing and bring down the “stubbornly high” numbers.

“It is distressing that a nation as wealthy as Australia has so many people living without a place to call home,” Ms Hayhurst said.

“The stats show that homelessness is disproportionately affecting young people and the sharp increase among women is shocking.

“We are now almost two years since the census and, with the rental market glowing red hot, it is sadly inevitable that the situation will have grown substantially worse.”

Follow @keithjwoods

Originally published as Northern Gold Coast suburbs see shock surge in homelessness