Shock rise in wait for spot

TOWNSVILLE’S social housing register is growing at an alarming rate, with more than 2100 families waiting for accommodation in the city.

This is more than a 170 per cent increase in more than three years. Just 793 families were waiting for housing in 2017.

The Queensland Council of Social Services say the number of families assessed as having a very high or high need for housing has also exploded from 436 in 2017 to 1888 in 2021.

The number of families with a single parent on the register has also increased from 179 to 755 in the same period.

Townsville has been experiencing a compounding issue with social housing, as rental vacancies dropped down to as low as 0.2 per cent during the pandemic.

Multiple families have been displaced, with people snapping up homes after moving from interstate.

This has put increased pressure on social housing services in the region.

Earlier this year, QCOSS called on the state government to invest $278m in the 2021-22 budget into social housing across the state. At that stage, there were 1800 families in Townsville on the social housing register and 1116 in need of urgent housing.

QCOSS CEO Aimee Mcveigh will be in Townsville on Friday to meet community service providers in the region and discuss plans to improve the wellbeing and resilience of those who rely on low incomes and support from community organisations to get by.

“Queensland is facing ongoing entrenched challenges in 2021. The pandemic has shown us just how important a liveable income and secure home is to the health of everyone in the community,” Ms Mcveigh said.

“While we did see a commendable $1.9bn invested by the Queensland government into social housing in this year’s budget, it’s clear this won’t be enough to address the exponentially growing crisis on our hands.

“We need all levels of government – commonwealth, state and council – to come together and solve this crisis collectively.

“The magnitude of the crisis our state is in requires a marathon, which must be run together by all levels of government.

“The Australian government especially must acknowledge its place in addressing the housing needs of Queenslanders.”

As part of her visit, Ms Mcveigh will also meet with members of parliament.

Earlier this year, Communities Minister Leeanne Enoch said over the past four years 229 new social housing homes had been commissioned in the North Queensland region.

The Minister said 28 new social housing homes were expected to start construction in Townsville by December this year.