Q Shelter

Q Shelter welcomes the Queensland Government's announcement today of amendments to the state's planning framework, which helps pave the way for under-used church and charity-owned land to be repurposed for social and affordable housing developments. Whilst there is still much work ahead in making this initiative a reality, the changes are an encouraging step forward in the 'YIFBY' (Yes in Faith's Backyard) movement to overcome the current severe undersupply of community housing in Queensland. Q Shelter Acting CEO, Jackson Hills, is quoted in today's announcement from the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning. “Q Shelter, along with YIMBY Qld (Yes in My Back Yard) Qld, and other faith-based groups, has been working on proposals to activate faith-based land for social and affordable housing development for the past 18 months. “It's promising to be collaborating with our fellow peak and industry bodies, as well as state and local government, churches, and community housing providers to develop an implementation plan to achieve that goal. “The changes represent a positive start toward achieving the housing targets, with more work to follow to do support this effort. “Q Shelter looks forward to working with the Queensland Government and other partners to unlock this land for community housing developments that support Queenslanders in need of shelter and a safe place to call home.” Read more about today's announcement on the Q Shelter website: https://bit.ly/3ZLN7h5

Restrictions permanently lifted for Queensland home owners 🏠 From 6 December, new home buyers can rent out a room without losing transfer concessions and grants. The change will ease low rental vacancy rates and boost affordability for new buyers. It will help unlock barriers for around 20,000 aspiring home owners per year, opening the door for more Queenslanders to enter the property market. Learn more ➡️ https://bit.ly/3ZwKGP0 #Housing #Homeownership

Q Shelter has responded to the recent decision made by City of Moreton Bay council regarding people living in public spaces. In the statement, Q Shelter Acting CEO Jackson Hills said "We would hope that City of Moreton Bay has exhausted all options in working with the community services sector and housing and homelessness networks to assist with housing support challenges for people sleeping in public spaces, particularly for those with companion animals before punitive measures are being applied. "This latest development just highlights the severity of the deepening crisis we face not just now, but in the years to come, and we must work together to solve this community challenge.” You can read our statement in full on the Q Shelter website: https://bit.ly/3P3fJgF

We're wishing everyone in the housing and homelessness sector a happy and restful holiday season. We have a few other wishes on our Christmas list as well, and we hope you'll join us in 2025 to help make them a reality... #homematters #bettertogether #christmaswishes

The Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) has recently added information about Social Housing to the Tenancy Agreements section of the RTA website. The new content includes information on exceptions to the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 that may apply for Community Housing Providers and their tenants. Find out more by visiting the RTA website: https://bit.ly/3BHWh60 #HomeMatters #RentalLaws #CHPs #SocialHousing #TenancyAgreements

In Queensland’s housing and homelessness sector, every action counts. It’s about more than just filling a role—it’s about meeting people where they are, offering a helping hand, and ensuring no one feels left behind. Whether you’re an architect designing safe spaces, a social worker providing essential support, an HR professional building strong teams, or a project manager coordinating impactful projects—your contribution can be the difference between instability and a safe place to call home. If you’ve been searching for a career that truly matters, where every day offers the chance to uplift others, this is where your journey begins. 👉 Discover roles that matter: https://lnkd.in/gMQ92A24 📩 Stay updated: Subscribe for the latest job openings and sector insights. [bit.ly/3Zim65Z]

Q Shelter welcomes today's announcement from federal Housing Minister Clare O'Neil of the launch of Round 2 of the Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) - including a target to fast-track 5,000 new social housing dwellings. Q Shelter has been an avid supporter of the HAFF initiative since its inception 18 months ago and has advocated for continued investment in the fund to support increased and expedited delivery of social and affordable homes. We note Round 2 calls for funding applications from state and territory governments and encourages them to partner with community housing providers (CHPs). Q Shelter looks forward to working with the Queensland Government on approaches that seek to maximise Queensland's share of the HAFF in line with the unprecedented demand for social and affordable housing in our state. While we explore the details of Round 2 of the HAFF, we are consulting with the Queensland Government, CHPs, and our fellow peak and industry bodies on how to capitalise on this latest round of funding, and potential further rounds of the HAFF. More details on HAFF can be found on the Housing Australia website: https://bit.ly/3OW6BKM #Housing #Australia #FutureFund #SocialHousing #Queensland #BetterTogether #HomeMatters

📖Research Reads Friday👓 Featured research this week on The Deck: 'Children and homelessness in Western Australia: As told by support workers and young people in WA', a report from End Child Poverty. The report details accounts from a workshop held this year for people who work daily with children experiencing housing instability and homelessness in Western Australia, to understand child poverty from the very people who see it every day. Read the report here on The Deck: https://bit.ly/3OSTSZf #homematters #thedeck #research #homelessness #childpoverty

It’s encouraging to see the new Queensland Government act quickly on this policy during their first term. Q Shelter, along with YIMBY Qld, the Archdiocese of Brisbane, community housing providers, and faith-based groups, has been working on this proposal for the past 18 months. It's promising to be collaborating now with our fellow peak and industry bodies, as well as state and local government, to develop an implementation plan. It will be important to see where the final policy lands regarding the feasibility of projects to meet ambitious dwelling targets. However, we are optimistic about our progress in the process so far. 🗞️ https://lnkd.in/gn6YpUnv More information to follow soon 🏠 ⛪️ #YIFBY #CommunityHousing #FaithBasedGroups #HousingSupply #SocialHousing #AffordableHousing

In November, Q Shelter was recognised by the Associations Forum as a nominee for the Association External Campaign of the Year award, at the 2024 Associations Awards. Our policy framework campaign 'Better Together: A framework for addressing housing need and homelessness in Queensland' was put forward for consideration, with the nomination noting the influence the Better Together framework has had on subsequent government policies and measures towards improving the housing system for Queenslanders. Above all, the nomination highlighted the extensive level of consultation and collaboration required to develop the framework, involving Q Shelter members, peak organisations, government agencies, people with lived experience, and other key sector stakeholders. For us at Q Shelter, this is an aspect of our work that we are particularly proud of: where the work we produce always seeks to be truly representative of the sector, and those at the frontline of unmet housing need and homelessness have direct input into our recommendations for policy and investment measures towards solutions. We congratulate Change Management Institute who won the Association External Campaign of the Year title, and all other winners and nominees in this year's Associations Awards. For our first time taking part in the awards it was a privilege to be involved and meet other associations doing incredible work for their members and respective sectors. Read about the awards here: https://bit.ly/49xks3G View the Better Together framework on our website: https://bit.ly/3BoQXV6 #BetterTogether #HomeMatters #AssocationAwards Images: Q Shelter Membership and Communications Coordinator Lauren Kippin and Chief Operating Officer Stuart Jobling attending the awards; Association Awards nomination certificate with the Better Together framework document.