AS Queensland’s housing crisis deepens, the Catholic Church and its agencies are playing a key, frontline role providing services and seeking new ways to accommodate the homeless.
The situation is dire, with more Queensland families being forced to live in tents, cars and motel rooms.
The state’s homelessness rate has risen by 22 per cent since 2017, compared to only eight per cent across Australia.
There are 300,000 Queenslanders experiencing housing stress, according to a new Queensland Council of Social Services report Town of Nowhere, a blueprint to the crisis, with support from the St Vincent De Paul Society and other Catholic agencies.
As the state government prepares for on a Housing Summit on March 28, the St Vincent De Paul Society and Brisbane archdiocese were working on major projects with a potential to unlock available land and property and provide more affordable social housing for individuals and families desperate for a home.
“We are currently working on our Society’s biggest housing project yet in our 129-year history; looking to build 500 homes across the state over the next five years to provide shelter to Queensland families in need,” St Vincent de Paul Queensland chief executive officer Kevin Mercer said.
“We are working alongside the state government and the Brisbane archdiocese to help make this project happen.”
Brisbane archdiocese confirmed it is “actively engaged” with the government discussing the release of Church-owned land across south east Queensland suitable for prefabricated, social affordable housing.
“We have unearthed opportunities. We are looking at how we can make that work for everyone,” Brisbane archdiocese strategic development manager Mark Burroughs said.
Church agencies including Centacare, Vinnies, Brisbane Catholic Education and Yeronga Parish had also identified five Church-owned dwellings empty and suitable to be leased as crisis family accommodation as part of the government’s Help to Home Scheme.
“That’s a family out of living in a car, or off the waiting list,” Mr Burroughs said.
Brisbane archdiocese is also examining ways to make one large inner-city Brisbane site available for short-term, homeless accommodation.
In addition, the archdiocese is holding discussions with private companies – including superannuation funds and not for profit organisations – aimed at providing accommodation for vulnerable groups such as older women who find themselves homeless.
The QCOSS report found groups experiencing particularly rapid growth in homelessness include older people aged 55 plus, people impacted by mental ill health and people recently discharged from prison.
“Everyone should have a safe place to call home, but our current reality means entire families are living out of tents, in their cars, couch surfing, or sleeping rough,” the report said.
QCOSS chief executive officer Aimee McVeigh said the face of housing stress in Queensland was a family with children, struggling to pay the rent and put three meals a day on the table.
Rents have risen in Queensland at faster rates than anywhere else in Australia.
Homelessness is most pronounced in the inner city of Brisbane’s inner city and in the remote communities of outback Queensland – stretching some Catholic homeless service to breaking point.
Emmanuel City Mission has seen a dramatic spike in the number of visitor to its South Brisbane daytime sanctuary for the homeless and vulnerable.
“With this dramatic increase in need comes a dramatic increase in costs. Put simply, we can no longer afford to keep our doors open seven days a week,” mission director Roby Curtis said, appealing for donations.
“We urgently need to raise $150,000 to keep the doors open and be able to continue to be there for our brothers and sisters in their darkest hour.”
Across the state, Mr Mercer said Society members were working compassionately to help those in need, however many communities simply have no affordable housing options available.
“…we need a significant further long-term investment in social and affordable housing… while in the short term supporting people through challenging times with emergency relief and the right levels of social safety net provisions through Commonwealth Rental Assistance and Income Support payments,” he said.
“Until we can drastically increase the number of social and affordable housing options available, this crisis will continue to impact the most vulnerable in our communities.
“Our mission calls us to serve Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice, hope and joy, and by working to shape a more just and compassionate society.
“Our members draw inspiration from our mission as we continue to assist those struggling through this housing crisis on a daily basis, while advocating on their behalf for better policy and investment responses from our Governments.”
