Sunshine Coast leaders are exploring whether a supportive housing model from Brisbane could be adapted for this region, as homelessness surges in Nambour.
Mayor Rosanna Natoli, Nicklin MP Marty Hunt and Councillor David Law recently visited Common Ground: a South Brisbane accommodation and aid initiative, following an urgent forum in Nambour where rough-sleeper numbers have doubled and residents raised safety concerns about public parks.
Accompanied by council officers and community representatives, they toured the multi-storey building and met the program’s CEO Sue Pope.
“We went to have a look at this model of supportive housing,” Cr Natoli says.
“It looks like any other kind of accommodation building in the area (but) what’s different is it provides supportive accommodation in a housing-first model.
“Inside are small, one-bedroom apartments. There are also shared spaces and a community garden in the building.
“What makes it different to other accommodation is that on the ground floor is the support mechanism for people who have been experiencing homelessness or who are accessing the affordable accommodation.”
Cr Natoli says Common Ground’s full-time staff manage tenancy aspects and wrap-around services, including mental health, general health and safety, while apartments are offered to people on the state government housing list as they become available.
“We know that people living along our creek beds and living in tents and on our dunes and our foreshores is not something that we, as a society, accept,” she says.
Cr Law says he is pleased to see authorities making moves to fix homelessness and safety.
“These issues are now receiving the attention necessary to achieve sustainable solutions,” he says.
Meanwhile, Mr Hunt says levels of government are focused on finding solutions to the “homelessness crisis” in Nambour and the Sunshine Coast in general.
“With council, we have committed to urgently explore safe and appropriate alternative locations for people experiencing homelessness, with wrap-around services to provide the support they need,” he says.
Mr Hunt says 52 new social and affordable homes are under construction on the Sunshine Coast, with another 25 contracted for delivery in the Nicklin electorate.
