The homelessness crisis is forcing more families to live in temporary accommodation while they wait for long-term housing. Figures show there are more than 45 thousand people on Queensland's social housing register - despite a new report finding affordable and secure housing is critical to families' wellbeing.
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00:00At 37 weeks pregnant, Nikki packs her hospital bag ready for the arrival of her fifth baby.
00:09But unlike previous births, the 34-year-old hasn't been able to set up a nursery or plan
00:14for the months ahead because she's homeless.
00:17Nerve-wracking.
00:18Yeah, it's very scary.
00:21Yeah, it kicks my anxiety in.
00:23Nikki and her children became homeless two years ago after the owners of her private
00:28rental decided to sell.
00:31She couldn't find suitable housing on income support and no longer had help from her partner
00:36nor her brother, who died within weeks of each other.
00:39No brother.
00:40Workers over, you know, which I find a bit funny because selling income, with children
00:47especially, that's guaranteed income, like you could lose your job any day.
00:50She's been living in a motel provided by social welfare group Myka Projects.
00:55I'm not the only person in this position, so there's people out there that need houses
01:00before I do.
01:01Frontline organisations in Queensland have been working with an international expert
01:05on ways to combat homelessness, drawing on effective measures used throughout the COVID-19
01:12pandemic.
01:13Really bringing together all of these community actors in the kind of urgent problem-solving
01:19team formation that they kind of naturally assemble into if there's a clear crisis.
01:26It comes as a new report reveals secure and affordable housing are critical factors influencing
01:32the wellbeing of families.
01:34It was the resource that they needed to be able to care for the children in a way that
01:39they wanted to, but in a way that they were unable to when they were insecurely housed.
01:43For people like Nikki, her future is still unclear while she waits for long-term accommodation.