Queensland homelessness is getting worse

While the 'sleeping rough on the big city streets' stereotype is actually largely accurate for states like NSW and Victoria, Queensland residents are caught up in a less public, less visible crisis.

That's because Queensland has the highest percentage of homeless people living regionally and remotely after the NT and Tasmania.

In fact, roughly half of Queensland's 22,447 homeless live outside of the major cities - Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and Ipswich - according to the ABS.

Mum of four and full time feedlot employee Courtney Luder is one of those 10,941 regional homeless people.

She was living a normal life in Dalby until her landlord evicted her for missing one rent payment.

Now she's approaching one year living in a borrowed caravan at a Western Downs camp ground with a toddler, school-aged kids and two dogs.

"It's hard with the kids saying that they wish they were normal, or that they were someone else," Ms Luder said.

"I'm doing everything I can to get us into a home again.

"Some days it gets the better of me and I'm feeling like I failed them.

"I've never been in this position before. But I'm just taking it day by day."

She came from a camp ground at Cecil Plains, where she saw others living like her.

About 30m away, Julie* lives with her three school-aged daughters in a tent.

They've been homeless since September after a health condition forced Julie to stop working and her landlord sold the house she was renting.

"I've never been in this situation before," Julie said.

And the problem is only getting worse, with a recent report from Queensland Council of Social Services (QCOSS) finding homelessness in Queensland had risen by 22 per cent since 2017, compared to only 8 per cent across Australia.

In Ms Luder's case, she's got plenty of savings but all her rental applications are getting knocked back.

"I'm having a hard time being accepted for a house. I apply for pretty much every house that becomes available in Dalby and surrounds," she said.

Ms Luder works 15-hour days most days at a nearby feedlot driving trucks and loaders to feed the cattle.

Unfortunately, they only supply housing to single people.

"I've been trying to push them to get houses for families, along with other people," she said.

She also works another casual job contracting as a livestock hand for other local feedlots, so she's thankful to have her former partner looking after the youngest ones as a stay at home dad.

The camp ground she calls home does have toilets, but no power or showers, so Ms Luder and her family have to improvise.

"I bring my family to the showers at work. I'm not sure what others do," she said.

"People need to realise the struggles everyone is having."

Meanwhile, Julie and her kids use a bucket to wash once a day or drive to a roadhouse if they want a shower.

Born in New Zealand, Julie says she doesn't meet the requirements to access Centrelink here.

"Luckily my ex-husband sends me $400 a week for food and fuel or I'd have nothing," she said.

Before arriving at the Western Downs camp ground, Julie was at the Goombungee Showgrounds, where she met others in a similar situation.

Queensland's regional housing crisis is complex. Experts point to several factors, including increased housing demand driven by overseas migration post-Covid lockdowns and capital-to-regional migration; decreased supply due to lack of social housing and lack of investors buying homes for the rental market; and interest rate rises squeezing household budgets.

Rent rises is another major factor, with PropTrack's May market insight report finding that in regional Queensland, the share of affordable rentals (under $400/wk) fell from 50.5pc in March 2020 to just 19.3pc in April 2023 - the smallest share of all regional markets.

The QCOSS report makes several recommendations to solve the crisis, including reforming private landlord tax concessions, phasing in broad-based land tax to replace stamp duty, and re-building housing policymaking capacity within government. It also suggests expanding social and affordable rental housing and further expanding the Queensland Housing Investment Fund and Housing Australia Future Fund.

On Tuesday, the state government announced $5 billion for the delivery of social and affordable housing, and housing and homelessness supports - calling it the largest concentrated investment in Queensland's history.

This is comprised of $3 billion to support the Housing and Homelessness Action Plan 2021-2025 and a $2 billion investment for the Housing Investment Fund.

However, the Opposition says in 2017, the Palaszczuk government promised to build 2972 social houses over five years, but "a scathing Auditor-General's report found 1 in 5 of these homes weren't built".

"Despite their repeated claims to have delivered more than 4000 new social homes, the Productivity Commission has found the government has delivered just 1395 additional social homes in eight years," they said.

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