Evicting Queensland public housing tenants with mental health and substance abuse issues puts pressure on health services and can cause homelessness, a report says.
The Queensland Mental Health Commission report, released on Tuesday, found vulnerable tenants struggle to understand the state government's three strikes policy.
The policy, introduced in July 2013, results in tenants being evicted if they're warned over anti-social behaviour three times in one year.
The report says while the number of people evicted under the policy has been low, the impact can be significant.
"In addition to the impact on the individuals' social and emotional wellbeing, the termination of a tenancy can lead to an increased demand on acute mental health services and result in homelessness and increased risk of involvement in the child protection and criminal justice system," the report said.
Mental Health Commissioner Dr Lesley van Schoubroeck urged the state to ensure vulnerable tenants understood the policy and support available to them to maintain their tenancies.
"Everyone understands it's important to be a good tenant. However tenants with complex needs may require additional support to be able to understand and meet tenancy obligations," she said.
The report has made a number of recommendations for the government, including:
- Providing alternative housing and monitoring tenants with complex needs
- Communicating better with tenants to help them understand the anti-social behaviour policy
- Combining enforcement of the policy with prevention, early intervention and rehabilitation support
- Adopting a more systemic approach to supporting tenants with complex needs by integrating other support services.
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