Council
4 December, 2024
Housing leadership
City of Moreton Bay has been recognised by housing and homelessness peak body Q Shelter, for leadership in addressing housing and homelessness challenges at the local government level and in conjunction with the sector.
Mayor Peter Flannery said it was a great honour to be awarded the Kent Maddock Memorial Award for 2024 by Q Shelter.
“This award will focus our energy on continuing to alleviate the housing crisis and homelessness for our residents,” Cr Flannery said.
“City of Moreton Bay has explored every reasonable option to help combat the impact of the national housing crisis locally.
Acknowledging our position as the third largest local government in Australia, we have been active in helping to achieve better housing outcomes for our residents.”
Some initiatives included in Moreton Bay’s Housing and Homelessness Action Plan include:
waiving development fees and infrastructure charges in fifteen suburbs for affordable and social housing
offering Council land, under a peppercorn lease, to community housing providers Bric Housing and Coast2Bay Housing Group Ltd to develop and manage social housing
committing $3.7 million to the new Peninsula Support Hub that is currently being built supported the Redcliffe sleepbus.
Mayor Flannery acknowledged the volunteers, Council officers and the many community groups across the sector who work incredibly hard in this area to help make a difference across the City of Moreton Bay.
Q Shelter CEO Fiona Caniglia, said the need for affordable housing in Moreton Bay is growing exponentially.
“The council has been looking at all possible levers locally to unlock social and affordable housing supply, with some key projects already underway,” she said.
This year Q Shelter awarded two winners, with the Greater Whitsunday Communities also receiving recognition for their work on a Housing Playbook and a Housing Summit Action Plan.
Ms Caniglia noted: “We’ve seen these two areas lead the way in collaborative action on housing solutions over the past year or more, and we felt it was important to recognise that commitment through this award.”
Q Shelter is a peak body working to influence solutions to housing needs and homelessness.
