They say your house is your castle, but Adam Pippos may be the only social housing tenant in Australia to sit on a throne.
Key points:
- As of June 30, there were 27,933 applications for social housing in Queensland
- 87% consider it a very high or high need, which includes the homeless
- The federal government has promised 30,000 new homes, but advocates say many more are needed
He lives near the western suburbs of the Gold Coast, an area with Queensland’s second lowest unemployment rate and where rents have risen 23.3% in 12 months, according to an analysis of the national housing campaign Everybody’s Home .
After a serious back injury forced Mr. Pippos to receive a disability pension, he spent two years between temporary accommodation.
While there are about 3,100 applications for social housing on the Gold Coast, Mr. Pippos managed to secure a home with enough space for his passion for wood cutting.
“A block of wood, you can turn it into whatever you want, there are no limits,” he said.
“I took it to the end. I can make a normal chair or I can make an awesome wood carving chair with a dragon wrapped around it.”
But he is one of the lucky ones, with housing advocates worried because even people with full-time jobs are forced to move to caravan parks or set up tents in the backyard.
Adam Pippos says people in social housing should not forget “that life is supposed to be amazing and exciting.” (ABC Gold Coast: Dominic Cansdale)
Housing as an “essential service”
Community Housing Limited manages 11,000 social and affordable properties across Australia.
“We’re now getting more and more housing inquiries from people who work full-time but can’t afford a private rent,” spokeswoman Cathy Beadnall said.
He said there was “a perfect storm at the time of rising interest rates, inflation, more and more people struggling to find a home.”
“We estimate that we will have to build as little as 30,000 homes a year over the next 10 years to cover the backlog and current demand,” Ms. Beadnall said.
According to a real estate data analysis by Everybody’s Home, the west Gold Coast, which stretches from Nerang to Varsity Lakes, has a vacancy rate of 0.29 percent.
At the end of May, 64 properties were available for rent out of a total of 21,978.
Everybody’s Home spokeswoman Kate Colvin said such limited housing availability was “a national problem.”
Kate Colvin says the policy to increase the supply of social housing does not go far enough.
“It’s kind of a hunger game for every rental property,” he said.
“There are 50 more homes trying to get this property and then it becomes a competition to find out who the most attractive tenant is.
“So maybe the local surgeon gets a property, but the local supermarket worker has problems.”
30,000 promised houses
Ms Colvin said even people with full-time jobs were moving to caravan parks or “putting up a tent in a friend’s back garden or in the state park.”
“When we have a market failure, the private sector is simply not delivering the new market rents that are needed, [so] We need the government to intervene, “he said.
“[The federal government] committed before the election to build 20,000 social housing and 10,000 affordable housing for five years; this is definitely a fantastic start.
“But we need about 25,000 properties a year.”
Federal Housing Minister Julie Collins was not available for comment, but told the media last month that the federal government had raised the housing portfolio to cabinet.
“Also, of course, we want to deal with affordability and supply with town halls,” he said.
“We need to work together: local government, state government, federal government, community housing providers and also private builders.”
More information on the Australian real estate market:
More than “a roof”
A Queensland Department of Housing spokesman said $ 2.9 billion had been spent on social and affordable housing, with 7.4 billion new homes over four years.
“Of these, 260 new homes will be started on the Gold Coast through a budgeted investment of $ 70.4 million by June 2025,” the spokesman said.
“Many of those who have registered interest in the housing registry have already received assistance in meeting their immediate housing needs with other solutions such as bond loans and rental grants.”
Housing supply and affordability have declined significantly over the past two years. (ABC Gold Coast: Dominic Cansdale)
But Beadnall said social housing was more than “a roof over your head.”
“Being socially connected, being part of a community and part of something that gives people a sense of purpose,” he said.
Adam Pippos and his handmade wooden throne, now on display as part of an art exhibition at the Kirra Community Center, can be an example.
“As everything increases in costs, everyone is struggling and forgetting that life is supposed to be fantastic and exciting,” he said.