2017-04-11 P&E Agenda Attachment 1 to Item 1 Housing Needs Assessment

Shearer notes that tiny housing may not contribute substantially to housing affordability issues
as:

       Tiny housing appeals to a small group and therefore there is unlikely to be sufficient
        demand to make this a viable solution to the affordability issue.
       Housing affordability is generally an urban issue and tiny houses “are not going to address
        the underlying dynamics of land supply and demand in urban areas” and doesn’t
        overcome the issue of land being unaffordable. People want access to hospitals, schools,
        family, employment, public transport etc. and therefore will continue to prefer inner city
        locations where land is more expensive.
       The tiny house movement however could create change more broadly by encouraging
        smaller house sizes.

Micah Projects proactive social programs
‘Micah Projects’ provides a range of services and programs. They assist people experiencing
poverty, homelessness, mental illness, domestic violence, disability or discrimination, providing a
range of holistic, evidence-based programs. Some of their programs include:

Housing first strategy for homelessness

The ‘housing first’ approach is an approach to addressing homelessness where housing is
provided to people first, rather than people ‘getting better’ or moving through transitional short-
term housing before a long-term housing strategy is organised. Housing first requires that
suitable, long-term housing be rapidly identified and provided, together with the services that
individuals and families require to continue on in this housing.

Can be delivered at:

       Scattered sites: Housing units located throughout the city, with units being either sub-
        leased from service provider, or public/social housing.
       Single site housing: Housing units located together with on-site support and tenancy
        management services. Brisbane Common Ground is an example of single site housing. It’s
        a purpose-built apartment complex in South Brisbane offering 146 units – both affordable
        housing, and for people who were formerly homeless. Support services and tenancy
        management are located on site. Common areas are provided for groups of units.

A research project examining the benefits of the ‘housing first’ approach in Brisbane was recently
undertaken with a cohort of 12 homeless people (Mason and Grimbeek 2013). The study
suggested various benefits and limitations of scattered sites and single site housing:

       Single site housing: Offers safety, control of visitors, access to assistance and support, on-
        site health services, long term and stable accommodation, and connected units/floors in
        the building contribute to community relationships.
       Scattered sites: Individual choice including more choice of dwelling type especially
        important for families, community living, support from workers, and telephone support.

A Project Example Pathways - Hospital Admission and Surcharge Pilot Project

‘Pathways’ is a post-hospital discharge service designed to provide person centred admission and
discharge planning, care coordination, direct nursing care and housing assistance in the
community (Micah Projects 2016). A key objective of the Pathways initiative is to improve the



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