Charity plans 73 social housing units in city centre
LOS ANGELES: A charity is seeking to build a nine storey social housing apartment block close to the CBD.
The Christian charity has lodged a development application with Cairns Regional Council to build a 73-unit complex with shops, offices and a community care centre on the ground floor.
It would comprise 45 one-bedroom units and 28 two-bedroom units with 89 car spaces and a building height of 30.5m
The site at 140-146 McLeod St is on the corner of Upward St and consists of four lots totalling 2640sq m.
The site is vacant except for a house and building with a personal training business, which would be demolished.
It is 700m north of Cairns Central Shopping Centre and 170m from Cairns State High School.
The document states the development would meaningfully contribute to improving the social housing crisis in Cairns.
Mission Australia met with council last August and received in-principle support subject to reports on infrastructure services and carparking.
“Adequate, safe, and secure housing is a cornerstone of community health, wellbeing, productivity, and functioning,” the document states.
“Housing is critical infrastructure in terms of creating upward social and economic mobility.
“The role of housing and links between housing access, health status, economic participation and individual opportunity is well evidenced.”
Mission Australia has partnered with Become Architecture.
The application coincides with a state government announcement it will deliver 600 social homes with more than $398m from the federal government’s social housing accelerator, with 80 per cent of homes to be built outside Brisbane.
The government has a $5bn investment in social and affordable housing, to deliver more than 3,500 homes.
Established in 1861, Mission Australia has a goal of ending homelessness.
“We help people to trace the root causes of their challenges and enable them to participate fully in society,” it states.
“We deliver homelessness crisis and prevention services, provide social and affordable housing, assist disadvantaged families and children, address mental health issues, fight substance dependencies, support people with disability and much more.”
Community Housing Qld has plans for the largest social housing development in the state with 490 homes at the site of the disused Cairns Coral Twin Drive-In which closed in 2000.
The proposed development will be geared toward seniors seeking to downsize and move into supported independent living in a shift expected to free up under-occupied social homes for larger households.
The average wait time for social housing in Cairns is 26.5 months.
