Council
9 October, 2024
Shelter or shutter
Moreton Bay Council is calling on all state election candidates to address the current lack of emergency accommodation for people experiencing homelessness as they make election commitments.
As has been reported by The Sentinel over the past several months, the issue of homelessness in Moreton Bay has been worsening, with Council having seen a 250 per cent increase of people sleeping rough over the last two years, and a 90 per cent increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness in the last decade.
When Council began their Moreton Bay Matters campaign, calling on state election candidates to address five key issues of the area, it was revealed through an independent report commissioned by Council that Moreton Bay has less social housing dwellings per 10,000 people than Ipswich, Logan and Redland, and ranks only fourth for communities and housing funding per capita.
Acting Mayor Jodie Shipway said the social housing system has not been able to keep up with the increased pressure, resulting in more pressure on local government.
“We are calling on the candidates to clearly address the current shortfall of crisis accommodation for people experiencing homelessness as an urgent priority as they make election commitments,” she said.
“Although housing and homelessness are ultimately the responsibility of other levels of government, we can’t turn a blind eye and have stepped in to help people needing critical support.
“City of Moreton Bay has explored every reasonable option to help combat the impact of the national housing crisis locally.”
Some of the initiatives Council has made to try and address the issue include waiving development fees and infrastructure charges in 15 suburbs for affordable and social housing, offering Council land, under a peppercorn lease, to community housing providers and specialist homelessness service providers for activation as social, affordable and/ or crisis housing.
Another proposal has been to commit a $3.7 million investment to the new Peninsula Support Hub currently being built, and supporting the Redcliffe Sleepbus.
“We need candidates to commit to expanding crisis and transitional housing options and allocate state-owned land for housing which will see more social and affordable housing support in Moreton Bay,” Cr Shipway said.
