Rapid Housing Response

The Rapid Housing Response provides individuals with access to safe, secure accommodation that encourages better health outcomes, while ensuring greater protections against the impact of COVID-19 in the broader community.

In partnership with specialist homelessness service providers, the Queensland Government is moving to house vulnerable people who have experienced homelessness and who currently reside in crisis accommodation with shared amenities into safe, secure self-contained accommodation.

Why we’re doing this

This is a critical health response to a community health emergency.

COVID-19 presents an enormous challenge for Queenslanders, and it’s important that we are proactive in responding to any potential broader community health impacts. That includes finding self-contained accommodation for vulnerable people who may be currently living in facilities with shared amenities and little space for social distancing.

We need to manage the potential impacts of community transmission of COVID-19 in accommodation where it is difficult to follow the social distancing requirements due to shared amenities and little space for social distancing.

While providers have a strict focus on cleanliness and care during normal operations, the ease and impact of COVID-19 transmission, and the impact on people with underlying health issues, means there is an extra level of vulnerability that puts residents of these facilities at significant risk.

This is an important part of our housing and homelessness response to:

  • protect the most vulnerable in our community
  • help reduce the risk of COVID-19 community transmissions.

Inner Brisbane

We are working with 4 specialist service providers who support residents living in properties with shared amenities across 4 locations in inner-Brisbane. These residents will be moved into self-contained supported accommodation located in Toowong.

We are working with:

  • Salvation Army
  • Mission Australia
  • St Vincent de Paul
  • Bric Housing.

Each of the partner organisations will continue to support their individual clients and deliver support as they normally would – the only difference is that they are co-located in the building.

Support workers understand individual needs and can deliver the range of supports required. This model provides safe, secure temporary accommodation while working with people to secure long term housing solutions.

The building facilities will continue to be managed by SCAPE, the building owner. The lease on this property is in place until mid-January 2021.

Good neighbours

We take the responsibility of being a good neighbour seriously.

Accommodation in Toowong will feature:

  • around the clock support for residents, with security services and most of their needs catered for in-house
  • regular health and well-being checks including a health check prior to taking up residence
  • secure access required to get in and out of the building with restrictions of floor access and a no-visitors policy
  • a strong set of ‘house rules’, enhanced to support social distancing requirements as we battle COVID-19 together
  • parking for all required vehicles with very little impact on street parking.

We anticipate local communities will see little change in the current operation of the building.