Shipping containers idea seen as solution to social housing

Ian Scorey says shipping containers offered a cheap and effective social housing solution on existing car park sites. 

A Nambour man, who has himself spent time on the streets, believes he has a simple and cheap solution to the social housing crisis.

Ian Scorey’s proposal utilises six-metre long shipping containers converted into a secure and safe living places, elevated on poles over existing public car parking spaces. By utilising existing car parks you don’t need to purchase land, which is a major cost for normal housing requirements. 

The idea came to him in early 2018 but he’s been struggling since then to get traction from interested parties and/or government departments. 

The former carpenter/ builder with 40 years’ experience in the building industry said the demountable pods would cost under $50,000 to set up and be available to rent for about $150 a week. The idea was to help people get back on their feet, not as a permanent home. 

“Water and sewerage connections are close by in the street, which is why I chose car parks.  And then they are solar powered. And that’s basically all you need,” he said. 

“They’re 3m off the ground. This is a way of utilising car parking spaces without sacrificing car parks and at the same time giving people somewhere to live. No more supermarket trolley of bedding and sleeping under a tree or bridges.

Ian said emergency social housing was going to be in massive demand because of rising prices, high rents and rising interest rates. “You can’t rent anything on the Coast,” he said. “I’ve spoken to homeless people and they tell me they would be prepared to pay $150 a week.

The biggest group of homeless people are women over 55 who have come out the back end of a marriage with nothing. A mum and her children could live in one of these containers for six-12 months while they build a better future. 

“I think there’s got to be a charity or a business or government service that can get involved and help make this happen.

“I know what it’s like because I slept in my car for six months. That’s what prompted me to come up with the idea..“

And this is not just for Nambour,” he said. “People around the world  need instant, safe and secure temporary housing. This is cheap, effective and if you get the right containers you can get easily get 50 years out of them.” 

Ian envisaged them being grouped, six in a row, on the edge of public car parking lots. The social housing containers would be demountable. Hence, if the car park site was to be redeveloped, the existing containers could be relocated to another location at minimal cost. 

He wants to set up an example container in Nambour and have it open to the public and open to donations. “Done right it could be self-funding but it needs initial support. This concept is not for the hardcore homeless people, that is their chosen lifestyle. This is for people that need to receive a hand up the ladder to a better life. But the pollies and the bureaucrats don’t seem to the able to see the wood for the trees.”

Growing problem

The latest Queensland Government figures show more than 1700 applications are currently waiting for social housing on the Sunshine Coast while governments dispute who should fund and build new accommodation to manage the growing waitlist. The analysis also shows more than 2800 people are waiting on average almost three years with the majority single people or single parent families. 

For more information about Ian’s idea contact him at ian.scorey@bigpond.com.