Sunrise presenter David Koch is shocked by the story of a teenage boy forced to sleep in a tent amid Queensland’s escalating housing crisis.
Kailaeb Vescio-Stanley, who has been sleeping with his father in a Brisbane park for more than two weeks, told Kochie that he was having trouble sleeping.
“Some nights I don’t get enough sleep, and some nights I do,” he told Sunrise.
“I see a lot of people getting it rough, and the majority of people I see getting it rough in parks are actually teenagers.”
The teenager said “too expensive to rent” in Brisbane and that his father had applied for permanent housing but hadn’t had much luck.
“We just want a house. A roof over our heads,’ Mr. Vescio-Stanley told Kochie.
Kailaeb Vescio-Stanley (pictured) has been sleeping with his father in a tent in a Brisbane park for two weeks and told Kochie he was having trouble sleeping.
Mr Vescio-Stanley said the majority of people he saw sleeping were teenagers
Ciara O’Loughlin earlier this year filmed a frenzied line of potential tenants waiting outside an apartment inspection in Randwick, east Sydney, amid Australia’s rent crisis
The couple is currently receiving support from Emmanuel City Mission, an organization that provides services to people who are homeless.
“I have to give kudos to Emmanuel City Mission as well because without them I would have food, clothes on my back or a shower every day,” he said.
The service provides a “daytime haven” for those who sleep rough, as well as hot meals, clothing, lots of laundry and sanitary kits.
Kochie asked Jen Williams, executive director of Queensland’s Property Council, if there was a short-term solution to Queensland’s deepening housing crisis.
She said Prime Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk had pledged on Tuesday to double her investment in “quick fixes,” such as more hotel and motel space for people who sleep poorly.
“It was also about rent assistance,” Ms Williams told Kochie.
“Affordability is a real issue because people are being pushed out of the market, so we hope to bridge that gap for some people. And also for things like food, the basic needs, so that people can also pay their rent.’
Kochie asked Jen Williams, executive director of Queensland’s Property Council, if there was a short-term solution to Queensland’s deepening housing crisis
Under new reforms announced by the Premier of Queensland at Parliament House on Tuesday, land tax will be reduced by up to 50 per cent for build-to-rent developments comprising at least 10 per cent of rent as affordable housing
Under the new reforms, landlords can only raise rent once a year
Ms Williams said changes to tax settings would enable developers to provide permanent rental accommodation to those in need.
Under the new reforms, announced by the prime minister at Parliament House on Tuesday, land tax will be cut by up to 50 percent for build-to-rent developments that comprise at least 10 percent of the rent as affordable housing.
Under the new reforms, landlords can only raise rent once a year.
On Monday, Prime Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk opened the QBuild Rapid Accommodation and Apprenticeship Center – a new factory in Brisbane that produces prefabricated frames and flat-packed rooms.
It is hoped that the Eagle Farm plant will help to quickly pump more housing supply into the market, with many of the exported homes earmarked as homes for regional government employees.
QBuild is part of the government’s $519.2 million housing package for government employees, which pledges to build 439 homes over the next five years.
It comes as discouraging data revealed that up to a third of Australians predict the cost of living will cause them severe financial stress in the coming year.
A survey by the Australian Council of Trade Unions of 3,000 workers found that more than half of Australians used their savings to pay for everyday expenses.
Devastating images have revealed the magnitude of the Sunshine State’s housing crisis
Prime Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk on Monday opened the QBuild Rapid Accommodation and Apprenticeship Center – a factory that produces prefabricated house frames and flat-packed rooms
Up to 46 percent postponed or abandoned holiday plans and one in four started skipping meals to prolong the weekly shopping.
Of those surveyed, 32 percent said the cost of groceries would continue to stress them over the next 12 months, while the majority, 91 percent, said the cost of living had worsened over the past 12 months.
Up to 80 percent of employees surveyed said it was becoming increasingly difficult to save for retirement, while 68 percent cut back or stopped buying non-essential items.
ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said the disturbing data indicated workers are barely keeping their heads above water.
“A decade without wage increases and current inflation has led millions of Australians to cut spending, go without essentials and some even go without meals and avoid visits to the doctor,” she said.