It was minus 4 degrees, but this 'over-burdened' charity could not offer a bed

When Viv Cox sees a missed call on her phone, she knows what it means.

Almost daily, she receives messages from tenants who can not afford to renew their lease, hoping for an affordable property through Karabar Housing Cooperative.

But with just 21 homes, the Queanbeyan-based charity is at capacity.

"It was minus four degrees last night and there are people with no shelter, no home," Ms Cox, who is chair of the cooperative, said.

"We have people in work contacting us all the time saying: 'have you got anything?'.

"There is nothing that is not over-burdened. From crisis accommodation through to our affordable housing, there is not enough and everything has got waiting lists."

Karabar Housing is hoping to more than double its footprint across the next few years to better accommodate the "at least" 180 people awaiting social, affordable and crisis housing in Canberra's satellite suburbs.

The charity offers independent accommodation for low and median income earners who can not afford the full cost of a rental property.

They aim to create stability for tenants through long-term contracts, meaning the only way to keep up with demand is through building more houses.

Karabar Housing Cooperative chair Viv Cox said their service was at capacity. Picture by Elesa Kurtz

They have applied for $16.5 million worth of funding under the Housing Australia Future Fund to build 31 two- and three-bedroom townhouses in Googong.

The homes would be rented to essential workers for 75 per cent of market rate.

Announcements on successful round one candidates are expected to be made in September.

If the money is awarded, Ms Cox expects "shovels to be in Googong soil" by October 2025.

Karabar Housing is also developing plans for 13 one-bedroom houses on a block of crown land on Carinya Street, Queanbeyan.

Nine of the homes will be affordable housing, likely to be aimed at women over 50 to address a "key need" in Queanbeyan.

The other four will be transitional housing for people awaiting long-term options, offered in conjunction with St Benedict's Community Centre.

The Crown lease has recently been transferred to Karabar for planning to begin.

Waitlists growing and broadening

Ms Cox said it was critical work began on housing as soon as possible so waitlists could decrease.

Karabar Housing currently has 39 active applications for an affordable rental.

St Benedicts Community Centre is assisting 40 people with emergency accommodation and are aware of around 100 others currently awaiting a social housing place near Queanbeyan.

And Ms Cox said demographics were shifting, too.

A homeless encampment in the Canberra CBD near the Legislative Assembly. Picture by Karleen Minney

Teachers, nurses and other government workers who could not find affordable rentals had contacted Queanbeyan charities for help.

The number of public housing properties in the ACT dropped to a decade low in 2023.

As of July, urgent applicants waited more than six months; high needs people more than three years; and standard applicants five years, for housing.

The waiting period for standard housing in Queanbeyan is less than two years.

However, Ms Cox was concerned these number could grow in Canberra and satellite suburbs like Queanbeyan, as rental affordability remains low.

Canberra saw no change in dwelling values across July, according to CoreLogic.

However just five Canberra suburbs were considered affordable for houses in June.

Governments to work together

The federal government has promised to deliver 1200 social and affordable houses in the ACT as part of the National Housing Accord, which aims to deliver 1.2 million homes across Australia.

But despite being a satellite suburb, Queanbeyan's location just over the border makes it difficult for residents to access the ACT's social housing network, Ms Cox said.

She felt it was critical for the territory and NSW government to work together so the potential of services could be maximised.

Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council has developed an affordable housing strategy, finalised in April 2023.

It includes a guide of 2776 social and affordable dwellings in the local government area by 2041.

"We are really grateful for [the plan]," Ms Cox said.

"It's just another indication that everyone can play a role and to come together.

"When we work [together], we can really strategise and see what is possible," she said.