Housing affordability is becoming increasingly challenging for Queenslanders, with homelessness organisations painting a dire picture of the crisis facing the state.
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Gold Coast Homelessness Network chairperson Maria Leebeek said some of her own staff had been impacted by a rental shortage.
"The fact there are so many people who are middle-income earners now seeking housing ... my own staff, teachers and nurses, everybody in the community basically," she said.
Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon said social housing numbers on the Gold Coast are "about to get a lot bigger".
"Homes aren't built overnight," she said.
"I want to manage expectations, so we'll do everything as quickly as possible but we need to make sure we deliver the infrastructure you need, water, sewerage, all of that stuff as well."
The Queensland Government has pledged to build 53,500 more social homes by 2046 as part of their $1.25 billion housing plan.
Ms Leebeek welcomed the news, saying it gave workers in the sector hope for the future.
"For us it's so exciting because it's meeting immediate need but it's also looking forward to the fact that we need more housing," she said.
Further north, a state government-owned parcel of land has been earmarked for affordable housing in Townsville.
The public land will be leases for a fixed term to a developer to build new housing before handing the land back to the state government once the lease term is finished, under a ground lease model.
Deputy Premier Cameron Dick said construction would also begin on 28 new houses in Townsville in mid 2024.
"We're also expected to see construction start on a further 312 homes by June 2025," he said.
Australian Associated Press
