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

LOCAL NEWS

Housing group makes inroads over crisis

By Sonia Isaacs

THE Maleny Housing Working Group (MHWG) was formed in October 2021 in response to significant social, economic and environmental issues arising from the ongoing housing crisis.