Tiny Houses are debated as an affordable, accessible solution to Australia’s homeless situation and the housing market crisis. Homelessness hits single people, families and young people. It’s a complex issue contributing to increasing rates of young people having to couch-surf, live rough or find supported accommodation. Just because you have a roof over your head doesn’t mean it’s a safe or secure one! For most kids homelessness is not a choice.
The housing market crisis is closely related with homelessness as the cost of living and demand for housing skyrockets in contrast to household income. Aussie Tiny Houses is committed to providing more homes for more people. We build affordable, sustainable homes and regularly receive feedback from our clients who easily found a place to park their Tiny House working around local council regulations. Some people choose to go Tiny for financial reasons, others like the eco-friendly simpler lifestyle. Whether you need one or want one, Tiny Houses are an available housing alternative.
One of Aussie Tiny Houses’ visions is to be part of the solution to the current housing crisis.
Fabio Paulucci – Founder of Aussie Tiny Houses
Australia’s homeless – how many and who?
We’ve partnered with a local youth support organization called Youturn to reduce homelessness in our local area. Youturn reported that “just because you don’t see people sleeping rough in our streets doesn’t mean our local community is immune to the problem. Noosa-Sunshine Coast is a popular holiday destination but a tough place to live for many young people to settle due to extreme housing costs, low average wages, social housing shortage and high rental competition. Add to this COVID-19 impacts of business closures, unemployment and health concerns, 2020/21 has seen more local people and particularly young people experiencing homelessness.”
The Real Estate Institute of Queensland reported in July that only 0.6% of Sunshine Coast rentals were vacant with 1,700 families waiting for public housing. “The Sunshine Coast, combined with Noosa, is currently Queensland’s most expensive property market with a median house price of $825,000.” – ABC News
Youturn corporate strategy and engagement general manager Dr Tanya Bell said homelessness was “reaching fever pitch with many people who’d never before been homeless suddenly left with nowhere to go.”
A Sunshine Coast couple couldn’t afford the $150 increase to their rent so were evicted and found themselves at risk of homelessness. The working couple submitted 15 rental applications but struggled to secure a lease. Dr Bell said the couple was among a growing number of locals turning to organisations such as Youturn for help to navigate the housing crisis or access emergency relief. Dr Bell said prior to Covid the service was seeing 25-30 people a week. Now they’re seeing that number each day!
“We’re seeing people we’ve never seen before,“ she said. “We’re just finding people who might previously have needed short-term support are needing long-term support. We see a lot of the casual workforce. A lot of employment options available in Noosa are in retail, hospitality. We’re seeing a lot of young people not getting the shifts they were promised. They’ve found themselves in a situation they wouldn’t dream of.
Can Tiny Homes Solve Homelessness?
Tiny Houses on wheels can be built within 1-2 months and are an affordable, mobile housing solution. Some argue that the floor space per square metre is more expensive than a standard house, however the overall entry price averaging at $120,000 for a very comfortable home and financial freedom with no hefty mortgage makes a Tiny House a doable option for many people. Imagine living off the grid and having nil utility bills! That itself makes sustainable living possible and within budget for low income earners.
The other argument against Tiny Houses being a solution to homelessness in Australia is finding land to put them on. As more local councils get on board they’re freeing up more land – from disused parking lots to railway property. We partnered with Youturn Youth Support and worked together with the Noosa Council to find land for the first two of many community funded Tiny Houses. We’re seeing increased interest from local councils and state politicians and hope the Tewantin Tiny Homes would be a public housing example for all governments around Australia.
Aussie Tiny Home owner Anthony, also known as Captain Plastic, agrees that Tiny Houses are an obvious solution to the current housing crisis and homelessness in Australia. Listen below to Anthony’s suggestions for sustainable house maintenance and how Tiny Houses are the answer we need.
Youturn Youth Support – Big Hearts for Tiny Homes
We are proud to be involved in this amazing project with our friends from Youturn Youth Support building tiny houses to get homeless people off the streets in one of Queensland’s most expensive housing markets.
The Youturn project “Big Hearts for Tiny Homes” is an initiative to tackle youth homelessness on the Sunshine Coast by building Tiny Homes for those young people transitioning from crisis accommodation towards independent living. It’s a way to strengthen the community by tackling youth homelessness.
The organization has grown substantially working with young people and those that support them, expanding their focus to include child safety, homelessness and mental health. Last year they supported over 8600 young people.
Youturn’s strength is the provision of wrap-around holistic support, leading to transformative benefits to young people, their families and in turn building resilient communities.
To achieve Youturn’s long-term vision of strengthening the community by tackling youth homelessness on the Sunshine Coast they set their sights on an initiative to provide more access to stable and affordable housing for young people by raising funds to invest and build Tiny Homes. This project is a value-add to our government funded Specialist Homelessness Services.
The Tiny Homes provide short-term, transitional housing to young people in need of homelessness support. After receiving help to resolve crises in their lives, a young person can receive ongoing social support and tenancy in a Tiny Home, before taking the next step to independent living.
Finding a Place to Park the Tiny Homes
Youturn explored various options for the best position for the first two Tiny Homes and worked closely with Noosa Council to identify the best location. The land next door to Tait Duke Cottage community support centre in Earl Street, Tewantin was proposed as the best option. Reasons for this included proximity to YouTurn and Noosa’s Social Service Hub allowing ongoing support as needed, shared utilities and resources with YouTurn, quiet cul de sac position within a community precinct and good access to community living (jobs, education, transport).
Shared utilities is a clever and sustainable way to live and one which Aussie Tiny Home owners utilize. Read more about how Amy and Greg found financial freedom and improved their family’s life by sharing with a friend on the Blog Does Tiny House Living Really Mean Financial Freedom?
The land in Tewantin is a former community garden that has been donated by the Noosa Council for three years, and Ms Bell said after that, the houses could be moved if necessary.
Ms Bell said Youturn will select young people who have been in crisis accommodation. She said the small homes would help them get a rental history, which was very difficult in the Noosa region for people on the minimum wage. “They will be paying rent, they will be contributing either a portion of their annual income or a reduced proportion of the market rent,” Ms Bell explained.
Youturn carefully considered many options and models before finally making the decision to partner with Aussie Tiny Houses. Like us they’re keen to support a local business but more importantly they wanted to ensure the Tiny Homes offered secure, good quality accommodation which was suitable for long term ownership and could offer flexibility so that they could accommodate two single young people or a mother with one or two children.
The investment of the Tiny Home could house around 10 to 12 young people or young families over a three year period.
The decision to go Tiny is as varied as there are people. Some choose to go Tiny because they’re more financially able to own a home that way, others choose a Tiny House as an eco-friendly simpler living option. No matter what your WHY is, Tiny Houses can be Australia’s solution to homelessness and the housing crisis.
Aussie Tiny Houses support the move to more independent living where people matter more than possessions and where time in nature feeds the soul. It’s why we do what we do and why we’re leading the Tiny House movement in Australia.
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