Brisbane’s 2032 Olympics and Paralympics could leave behind a legacy of housing stress and homelessness if action is not taken now, experts have warned.

Worsening housing affordability, displacement of low-income households, and a loss of boarding houses in south-east Queensland are already putting stress on the region, Q Shelter and research partner the Australian Housing Urban Research Institute (AHURI) noted in a new report.

And they feared that increased demand for hotels and short-term accommodation closer to the Games would also exacerbate current housing issues.

Before the Games, the south-east could expect to see an influx of people employed on construction projects or looking for work opportunities, followed by an influx of visitors during the event itself.

All that would “put downward pressure on the already challenged housing market”, Q Shelter chief executive Fiona Caniglia said.

The report’s authors called for a commitment to produce permanent dwellings from the athlete’s village accommodation for the purposes of social, affordable and accessible housing post-Games.

“We are really calling for a sustained effort to build social housing, but also a target for affordable housing, which is discounted market rent housing,” Caniglia said.

This housing was critical for people working in health, education, retail, and hospitality, who may be otherwise unable to afford to live close to where they work, she said.

“With all of the economic opportunities coming from the Games, these roles are going to be even more vital,” Caniglia said. “And so affordable housing that is a discount to market rent is critical, and we need a target for that.”

The Games would also be an opportunity to increase the number of accessible homes, given the athlete’s village will be built in part for Paralympians, she said.

Demand for crisis housing growing

According to the report, the supply of crisis accommodation in the south-east only increased by 1 per cent in the last year, while the number of people using homelessness services rose by 20 per cent.

Up to 3000 people are currently in hotel accommodation who would otherwise be at risk of homelessness, including 1900 in Brisbane alone.

However, there has been an increase in development near the Olympic and Paralympic Games sites, with dwelling approvals up 10 per cent.

Caniglia said some of the state government’s recent funding promises, including more than $5.8 billion over four years towards the growth of social and community housing, would go a long way to ensuring the 2032 Games brought benefits to all.

“With possible early signs of housing pressure and displacement emerging, the race is really on now for the benefits from that additional funding to be realised,” she said.

Social housing supply would be vital before and during the Games, AHURI’s Dr Tom Alves said.

“We know that the government has set very clear and very ambitious targets for the provision of that housing, and we’re very excited about that,” Alves said.

“But we’re keen to keep an eye on how that’s progressing and how that’s being delivered, particularly in this region as it comes under pressure in the lead-up to the Games.”

Brisbane’s rental market is tighter than any other Australian capital city, with a rental vacancy of 1.1 per cent.

Rental affordability has worsened in Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast, where the majority of 2032 Games-related venues are concentrated, but has improved in Logan and the Redlands.

The number of people receiving rental support has increased in Logan and dropped in areas such as Brisbane City and the Gold Coast, suggesting the displacement of low-income households from the latter areas to the former.

Logan has experienced the largest increase in people experiencing homelessness, which suggests rough sleeping and unstable living arrangements are on the rise.

Ten boarding houses were closed in the last year, including seven in Brisbane. Caniglia said these properties are now largely being used for redevelopment or higher-return land use.

These closures are “particularly significant because the new government has made some people ineligible for housing response and social housing”, Caniglia said, “which means that really board housing is the only option they have.”

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