THE Sunshine Coast Council is being urged to suspend a local law making it illegal to live in temporary housing on a private property more than 28 days.
With the most recent Rental Affordability Index showing that 40% of low-income households were in rental stress and struggling to pay for basic essentials, local groups say there is no time to lose to address the situation.
The Maleny Housing Working Group (MHWG) – formed through the Neighbourhood Centre last year to help devise strategies to mitigate rising housing stress – said that despite the recent waiver of fees for temporary accommodation, more could be done.
Sunshine Coast laws currently only permit people to live in a temporary home on private property for a maximum of four weeks in a 52-week period.
Longer periods of stay require a permit that starts at $514 for an initial application and then only allows for a maximum three-month stay in a tent and 18 months in a bus, caravan or mobile home before reapplication is required.
And while the Council recently announced the waiving of temporary housing permit fees until June 2023, for those ‘doing it tough’, housing advocates and local welfare networks suggest the measure does not address the crisis.
“This is not enough relative to the extent of the housing crisis at hand, and we need to go beyond the temporary and reactionary responses,” MHWG coordinator, Ritva Vilppola, said.
Ms Vilppola said other laws including limiting one permit per property regardless of property size also needed to be addressed. Affordable housing group advocates suggest that while there may be many rural property owners in the hinterland willing and able to provide land to help accommodate people, this issue was limiting viable alternatives.
The Sunshine Coast Council said that safety was paramount in its decision making.
“Our first priority is to ensure everyone – including our most vulnerable people – is safe,” a spokesperson told GC&M News.
“While it is important we support people who need to access a temporary home, council also has obligations to protect and manage health and safety, the environment, and reduce impacts on nearby properties and public spaces.
“This includes ensuring temporary homes are not placed in known bushfire or flood prone areas; waste, sewage, and grey water are disposed of safely; and the temporary home is safe for use and the occupants have access to, or a plan for, kitchen, bathroom, and toilet needs.
“Our officers will make this as easy as possible for applicants, understanding many may not have online access and may be facing significant challenges.
“Staff want to sit with them, make sure they are safe, take them through the process and respond with compassion.”
The spokesperson said council will continue to work collaboratively so that community has housing opportunities that match needs.
“This will be undertaken through advocating to other levels of government for collaborative action to address housing affordability and reduce homelessness, facilitating the delivery of affordable housing options and supporting community-led initiatives,” they said.
“Council, in conjunction with the state government, will continue to plan for and facilitate the development of the major urban communities at Palmview, Caloundra South and, in a few years, Beerwah East.
“These emerging communities will accommodate a significant proportion of the additional dwellings to 2041 and beyond. Each of these expansion areas are planned so that the communities benefit from high levels of access to centres and employment, planned public transport connections and other important infrastructure networks.”
Other council’s have already addressed this issue including the Fraser Coast Council, which now allows family and friends to live in a caravan or tiny home on wheels for up six months in a 12-month period (subject to conditions). Mount Alexander Shire in Victoria were proposing that alternative housing options be permitted for an indefinite period of time with no permit limit. While the Shire of Esperance had already adopted a Tiny Houses Local Planning Policy – the first council in Australia to recognise tiny homes as a permanent housing choice.
“Other Councils have stepped up and have engaged or in the midst of engaging their local communities on changing their laws. This is something we encourage the Sunshine Coast Council to also do,” said Ms Vilppola.
The MHWG have leveraged their networks to encourage citizen participation throughout the Sunshine Coast. Concerned community members are being urged to send letters to their local councillor and SCC CEO to go beyond the temporary removal of permit fees and suspend the limiting 28-day local law as an immediate action in response to the current Sunshine Coast housing crisis.