A disused student accommodation block at Griffith University will be converted into crisis accommodation for people in need.
In what was described as a step forward in addressing housing challenges, the State announced in the last quarter of 2022 that the disused student accommodation block at Griffith University will be refurbished and used as crisis accommodation for homeless families.
There are 200 vacant beds at the university’s Mount Gravatt campus that were identified for potential conversion into emergency accommodation, following a housing roundtable discussion.
THe move “will increase crisis accommodation available for people in need and help solve one of the multiple housing issues.” The state government encouraged other organisations to follow the school’s lead.
In November 2022, however, concerns were raised about the facility still yet to see initial refurbishment works done. The state commitment was to deliver it within six months but no word has come out yet as to the timeline of the project and when the homeless families could expect to move in.
The state government did confirm, however, that the project is in the planning stages and that there are major modifications that would need to be made so the facility could be suitable for its intended purpose.
In early December 2022, the Queensland Housing Summit Outcomes report was released following the summit held last October. It identifies the measures that the state government will implement to tackle the housing crisis including a $56 million investment in new housing supply and support initiatives.
The state government will also continue its audit of state-owned land and buildings to identify opportunities for residential use as well as a $1 billion boost to the Housing Investment Fund to $2 billion.
Meanwhile, a total of $48.5 will go towards housing support which includes expansion of tenancy sustainment responses, delivery of more temporary emergency housing with onsite support, additional support for after-hours outreach service, and cost of living relief including emergency and food relief.