Minister for Housing and Public Works and Minister for Youth The Honourable Sam O'Connor
Gold Coast Opens New Housing, Support for Vulnerable
- Up to 30 young families experiencing or at risk of homelessness at any time able to receive housing help.
- Delivers early housing intervention for young parents and pregnant women, reducing crisis homelessness.
- The Crisafulli Government is delivering record homelessness services funding and has locked-in baseline support after years of Labor underfunding left frontline services overwhelmed.
The Crisafulli Government has delivered a new specialist Housing and Support Link Service on the Gold Coast to support young families who are receiving treatment at the Gold Coast University Hospital and are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
The service can support around 30 young families at any one time, including vulnerable young pregnant women aged 16-25.
Under the former Labor government, young families were too often pushed into crisis before support was available, with frontline services left underfunded and overwhelmed.
The Crisafulli Government's Securing our Housing Foundations plan is aimed at delivering a place to call home for more Queenslanders, sooner, including easing Labor's 54,000-people social housing wait list by building more homes and ensuring fairness.
After years where Labor ignored the warning signs and let the homelessness crisis spiral, the Crisafulli Government is delivering a coordinated approach that puts vulnerable families first and ensures they receive support when they need it most.
By partnering closely with the Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, Wesley Mission Queensland will run this new service which integrates housing help directly into the healthcare system reducing pressure on families, improving wellbeing, and preventing homelessness before it takes hold.
Through a dedicated onsite team, young families will be linked with housing assistance, tenancy support and wraparound services to help them secure safe, suitable accommodation and sustain a long-term tenancy.
This stability means services can plan ahead, hire staff, and deliver long-term support instead of scrambling year to year for funding as they did under the former Labor Government.
Minister for Housing, Public Works and Youth, Sam O'Connor said the Crisafulli Government is investing almost $600 million in new funding for crisis accommodation and homelessness support services to help keep more Queenslanders in stable, long-term housing because hotels aren't homes.
"This new service provides stability when it's needed most for young Gold Coast families who are doing it tough. No young family should face the fear of homelessness while dealing with the stress of a hospital stay. This service delivers young parents immediate, practical support to secure a safe home and keep it long-term, Mr O'Connor said.
"Interventions for pregnant young women and young families facing homelessness help with their immediate well-being and reduces the impacts of homelessness for their children.
"Our expert teams help them with housing options including sustaining existing housing, accessing private rental homes, assisting with social housing applications, supporting them at Services Australia appointments, even exploring work and study options.''
Member for Southport Rob Molhoek said the new service was reflecting the kind of targeted support the Gold Coast community expects.
"This is exactly the kind of coordinated compassionate support our families deserve," Mr Molhoek said.
https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/104494
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