Affordable Housing Crisis Hits The Roof

With hundreds of people being displaced across the region, it is a common story to hear of a family that has lost their rental and is now struggling to find a new one.

As price increases suddenly exclude them from the market, these families are scared and vulnerable with no security.

While wages remain the same, the cost of living in the Whitsundays has been driven up and it is no longer the lower socio-economic groups that are impacted by the housing crisis - we are now seeing blue- and white-collar workers facing homelessness and the issue is swiftly becoming everyone’s problem.

Fortunately, there are people within our community who are standing up and actively trying to create long-term practical solutions and avenues to funding that could make a real difference.

In Bowen they have 466 people who are currently in a ‘crisis’ situation with regard to housing, and their soup kitchen, which used to see 40 people a month, is now struggling to keep up with 40 people per week.

Meanwhile in the Greater Airlie Beach area, Rebecca Woods from the Whitsunday Neighbourhood Centre says she is struggling to find funding streams to help people with homelessness and that she lost $10,000 of emergency relief funding last year.

When someone presents as homeless, the neighbourhood centre can offer a $30 voucher which is meant to help them through the first 24 hours. There is no longer term relief.

Whitsunday Neighbourhood Centre are currently applying for Council funding for a Tenant Connect Program which will pay for a facilitator to help people at risk of homelessness so they can prevent the root cause of the issue.

“We see six new homeless people each week,” said Rebecca.

“We are seeing blue-collar workers and white-collar workers come through and many of them are not eligible for housing assistance”

“But because of the size of our population we do not get the support – our biggest barrier is funding.”

Amanda Camm MP said that waiting lists for social housing is skyrocketing across the region, with demands rising 90 per cent in Mackay and 43 per cent in the Whitsundays.

There are 1,350 applications rated at ‘high need’ across the region.

Neil McGaffin, head of Development for Whitsunday Regional Council said that there are several social housing projects that Council have approved across the region.

These include 12 units in Cannonvale and an apartment block in Bowen.

Currently they are in the planning stages so there is no time frame for completion.

Amanda Camm MP said that if the community groups could propose exact projects, plans and costings, they would have a better chance of receiving funding.

In answer to this, Rebecca Woods said there are currently some houses up for sale that could be modified to provide emergency housing.

She also suggested that land could be allocated at the Council owned caravan park in Proserpine.

Eager to see short-term practical solutions, the crisis continues but at least there is new hope.

What is causing the affordable housing crisis?

• There are 1,500 more people living in the Whitsundays than Council statistics predicted two years ago

• Investors who had been renting their properties have now sold because prices are high – this means there are now significantly less rentals in the market

• More competition for limited rentals has pushed the prices up making them unaffordable for many families

Tim Mander MP, Sandy Clark, Joanne Moynihan from Whitsunday Housing Company, Councillor Jan Clifford and Member for Whitsunday Amanda Camm MP

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