Almost 75% of people in Logan have identified housing affordability and homelessness as the top issue in their community.
Meanwhile, 35% of residents identified it as an issue for themselves.
A new survey undertaken by the Salvation Army showed housing was the number one issue of concern for residents across all three federal electorates in Logan.
The electorate of Forde recorded the highest number of people believing housing was the most pressing issue in their community, making up almost 78% of people.
Rankin recorded the most number of people who said it was the top personal issue at nearly 38%.
On average across Logan, around 36% of people identified housing affordability and homelessness as a personal issue.
The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows there are around 1000 homeless people in Rankin, 660 in Forde, and 540 in Wright.
The latest estimates from the Australian Housing Data Analytics Platform, released in 2023, suggest there is a current shortage of 11,500 homes Logan-wide.
Salvos’ general manager of policy and advocacy, Jennifer Kirkaldy, said the “sheer scale” of people who said housing was their key issue was surprising.
“When thinking about social justice issues in the community, housing and homelessness was overwhelmingly the most common response,” she said.
“Even before the pandemic, housing costs were already rising at an unsustainable rate and since the pandemic we are seeing an increase in the urgent need of community members accessing our services.
“Having safe and affordable housing is not a luxury. It is a basic human need.
“Housing is the foundation for addressing almost every other form of disadvantage or injustice in Australia.”
She said the house market was complex.
“But like any other market, it is shaped by decisions being made by human beings.”
Mr Kirkaldy said we needed urgent, large-scale investment in social and affordable housing.
“The housing crisis requires direct action by governments at every level.”
