Homeless crisis growing

MORE than a hundred Townsville families remain homeless despite seeking State Government help to secure a roof over their heads amid a critical housing shortage.

The Department of Housing received 285 requests for emergency housing assistance as of 4pm yesterday but the Bulletin can reveal just seven applicants have been housed in public housing, while 166 have been placed into alternative accommodation.

On Monday, the department scrambled to get 85 families into alternative housing, almost double the number of applicants they had found a place for by 5pm that day.

The Government on Monday also committed to move about 350 public servants out of accommodation needed by locals.

“The department has established a plan to ensure that everyone affected by the floods will have a place to stay if they are unable to return home,” a department official said.

“We have co-ordinated across government to make sure that as response workers start to leave North Queensland, rooms will be immediately available for the community. Anyone unable to return home, and unable to stay with family or friends, can register for emergency housing support.”

It comes amid a critical housing shortage affecting the region, which has seen the number of available rental properties significantly reduced.

Townsville REIQ chairman Wayne Nicholson said it was impossible to tell how many rental properties were currently available.

“The reality is, we really don’t know,” he said. “My guesstimate is that there is not a lot. Probably a couple of hundred, 300 at best. No doubt this will push rental prices up.”

Smith and Elliott real estate principal Sally Elliott said there had been around 2000 listed rental properties online last month and this had been reduced to 657 yesterday afternoon.

“We have very few rental properties left,” she said.

“We’ve got a backlog of people waiting to get into a place. We have forward booking and applications for houses two or three weeks away and a few that go out to two months.

“My phone has been ringing off the hook. I’m 40 or 50 calls on my mobile and 120 at the office each day.”

Ms Elliott said she had been telling people to go off on holidays and put their houses up for rent.

“I’ve actually had two people take me up on that and have put their home up for rent while they go travelling,” she said.