Tenants’ Union of Qld press release about the loss of Cairns TAAS

Reprinted from the TUQ’s website. TUQ_LOGO Or read it read it directly from here.  April 26.

Call for Premier to Review Funding Withdrawal as Tenant Service Closes

The Tenants’ Union of Queensland (TUQ) is calling on the Premier to urgently announce whether the government will fund advice and advocacy support services for tenants under the National Partnership Agreement on Homelessness (NPAH) following today’s announcement that the Cairns Tenant Advice and Advocacy Service (TAAS) is closing.

The Cairns TAAS service is the first to fall after the state government announced last year that it would discontinue funding to the TAAS Program, which supports the work of 23 organisations across the state.

The Federal Minister for Housing, Mr Mark Butler, has previously announced that tenant advice and advocacy services form a core requirement of the in-principle agreement with the states for the continuation of joint funding for homelessness services.

“The closure of the Cairns TAAS represents a loss of direct frontline services for tenants in the Cairns area”, said TUQ spokesperson, Ms Penny Carr.  “The TUQ is working to fill the gap from the loss of this service but we are also only funded until June 30”.

She continued, “We are calling on the state government to tell us whether they are going to fund any tenant advice and advocacy support services as part of the NHAP.  Our understanding is that the state government may be putting the entire package of homelessness funding at risk if they do not”.

”We have not been able to reconcile the state and federal government’s positions requiring tenant services to be funded under the NPAH” Ms Carr said.

“If the state is funding or implementing any tenant advocacy and support services now is the time to let us know rather than let services close’, said Ms Carr. “We want to be able to deliver uninterrupted services to tenants and to retain the expertise and corporate knowledge in our sector.’

The TUQ’s North Queensland based office has previously delivered a greater component of training and sector resourcing but with the TUQ’s own loss of long term workers following State Government cuts last year, they have focussed their work on direct services to tenants.

The TUQ acknowledges the valuable work of their colleagues at the Cairns TAAS.

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