WARNINGS of an impending “avalanche of homelessness” in the wake of recent interest rate rises have been sounded by two Queensland St Vincent de Paul Society members.
The two men – the society’s state social justice committee chairman Robert Leach and state housing manager Wal Ogle – have spoken of handing out tents to desperate people and of a mother living with five children in one such tent in an undesirable environment on the Sunshine Coast.
Both had also heard reports of a young Gold Coast mother found asleep on a park bench. Underneath the bench was a suitcase in which she had placed her two infants for protection.
Mr Leach has warned that the St Vincent de Paul Society in Queensland may soon have to cease rent assistance altogether if it is to continue in the business of supporting the disadvantaged.
“In the northern diocese, the area where I’m based, there’s a projected rent assistance increase of 20 per cent – or about $250,000 – over the remainder of this financial year,” he said.
“Assuming the problem is uniform across the whole eight Queensland regions, you could be speaking millions of dollars required in rent assistance.”
Mr Ogle spoke of a looming housing crisis across Australia with about 250,000 families facing a future without secure accommodation.
Queensland has 24.9 per cent of the national homeless population – the largest such group out of all Australian states.
Mr Ogle also spoke of some cases where people seeking assistance were spending up to 68 per cent of their income on accommodation, and of “homeless hotspots” such as Mackay where recent flood waters had left 950 people, both single and with families, homeless.
Ultimately the question of homelessness was something that should be the concern of all Catholics, Mr Ogle said.
“The most important work we Catholics can do is to work together to lift the quality of all human life through such issues as adequate housing for everybody.”
