Boost our social housing Big Build
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Snapshot
- 53,500 social homes by 2046, including a pipeline of:
- youth foyers
- domestic and family violence shelters
- First Nations social homes
- supported accommodation places
- emergency housing
- Purchase more properties exiting the National Rental Affordability Scheme
- Grow the community housing sector
A safe place to call home should be in the reach of every Queenslander, including those for whom the private market is out of reach.
Our major investment in social and community housing will make sure we can keep up with demand as our state grows.
Our Big Build is getting bigger. We’ve set a bold social housing delivery target of 53,500 homes by 2046. To help meet this target, we’re providing $1.25 billion over the next 5 years to help deliver more than 2,000 social homes, on average, every year from 2028.
The Queensland Government can’t do this alone; we’ll work with the Australian Government and community housing sector to deliver the homes Queenslanders need.
This will make a big impact on the housing choices available to families and individuals across the state. It will also reduce the overwhelming pressure on community housing and homelessness services that are working tirelessly to meet demand.
At least half of all newly constructed social homes delivered or supported by the government will follow special design standards to suit older Queenslanders and people with disability. There will also be supported accommodation for young people and those experiencing domestic and family violence, as well as tailored housing for First Nations peoples and regional and remote communities.
This new commitment reinforces the social housing investment the Queensland Government has been making since 2015.
Business as usual won’t get us to our target, so we’re taking a bold and ambitious approach – bringing all tiers of government, industry and community together. By joining forces, we can deliver the housing solutions Queenslanders need – and do so much faster.
What we're doing
Better homes for people with disability
We are strengthening pathways and increasing housing support for people with disability through the Partnering for Inclusive Housing with Queenslanders with Disability 2024–2027. This action-oriented plan has been co-designed with people with disability and other housing experts.
Delivering our Big Build
The Queensland Government has been investing at record levels since 2015. We have delivered more than 6,000 social and affordable homes, and we’re not stopping. As part of Queensland’s housing overhaul, we’ll deliver 53,500 social homes by 2046. To meet this target, we’ll provide $1.25 billion over the next 5 years to help deliver more than 2,000 social homes, on average, every year from 2028. So far, we’ve delivered 1,315 social homes, including 443 ex-National Rental Affordability Scheme dwellings. The release of Our Place: A First Nations Housing and Homelessness Action Plan 2024-2027 complements an increase of 1,200 new social homes in remote and discrete communities delivered through the Big Build
This social housing target has been informed by modelling from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute. The target considers other economic data and factors, including the 2023 population and household formation projections by the Queensland Government Statistician’s Office and the ABS Census.
We’re delivering different styles of housing, prioritising growth locations where Queenslanders want to live and work, and removing the inequalities embedded in our traditional housing system. All of this will give every Queenslander the opportunity to access safe, secure and affordable housing.
What's to come
Targeted accommodation for people in need
We’re addressing the needs of our most vulnerable Queenslanders with:
- 8 new youth foyers – to provide stable housing and support for young people who are studying or working
- 10 new or replaced domestic and family violence shelters – to provide immediate safety and protection for women and children
- 1,200 social homes for First Nations families – through partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander local government authorities and communities
- more supported accommodation places across the state – for people experiencing homelessness.
Securing National Rental Affordability Scheme homes
The government is supporting several community housing providers to purchase homes exiting the National Rental Affordability Scheme to provide certainty to tenants benefiting from the discounted rental prices.
We're working with these community housing providers and property owners to purchase eligible homes exiting the scheme – where sellers are willing and the purchase represents value for money. The community housing providers are overseeing the purchase process and will own and manage the homes, ensuring they remain available as social and/or affordable housing.
Community housing growth
The community housing sector, including the Indigenous community housing sector, is on the front line of social and affordable housing delivery. We want to boost the sector’s capacity so it can keep doing great work helping Queenslanders to find a safe place to live.
An updated Community Housing Rent Policy, guideline, and rent calculator have been released, which allows rent parity to promote a fairer and more equitable social housing system. The policy and guideline describe how funded providers assess, calculate, and review the rent payable when a tenancy begins and when a household’s circumstances change during a tenancy.
The Queensland Government is continuing to invest in measures to support this sector, including:
- partnering to deliver more social and affordable housing through QuickStarts Qld, the Housing Investment Fund and the Australian Government’s Social Housing Accelerator and Housing Australia Future Fund
- supporting sector capacity and capability through Community Housing Futures, with community housing providers able to seek up to $50,000 in Business Advisory Grants for tailored professional advice and assistance
- providing funding for select community housing providers to purchase, own and operate homes coming out of the National Rental Affordability Scheme
- establishing a single, modernised and streamlined Housing Master Agreement to reduce red tape and standardise how providers are funded
- introducing changes to allow rent parity to promote a fairer and more equitable social housing system
- introducing 20-year management leases on new social housing and existing leases offered by government, where appropriate, to help the sector invest and grow
- introducing a Youth Subsidy for registered community housing providers to support more young people (aged between 16-25) who are eligible for social housing to find a place to call home.