“Being homeless is expensive” – Mum forced to live in a tent with baby, toddler, and husband as Australia’s rental crisis escalates
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We hate to be the bearer of bad news but there are just some heartbreaking stories out there worth knowing about. This one in particular may give you a reality check as it touches on the concerning rental crisis across Australia that continues to intensify.
A family of four has been left with no choice but to live in a tent after struggling to find affordable housing, eventually leading to homelessness.
Sushannah Taylor who is 20 years of age was living in a rental home with her husband Tristan and their two daughters (Delilah, aged two, and six-month-old Luna) in Roma in the southwest of Outback Queensland.
However, things went down the drain in a blink of an eye and the family found themselves living out of a tent at campsites around Bundaberg after their landlord decided to sell their former property last month.
Image Credit: @sushannah_
“We had a nice little rental out in the country and we had been there for about two years… But our landlord sold the house and we couldn’t find another rental in time, plus our area had become unaffordable to rent in,” Sushannah explained.
Their challenges reflect the reality of the country’s housing market – as the couple and many others struggle to find a new place they can call their own.
The executive of Mission Australia, Ben Carblis, responded to the recent report on Government Services 2022 - Housing and Homelessness, saying:
“Finding an affordable home to rent has never been so difficult. Many are heading into 2022 already homeless – often unexpectedly – because there aren’t enough accommodation options to go around for everyone who needs it.”
“Our dual housing and homelessness crisis is a blight on our country. With so much human suffering, the question remains: Why isn’t more being done to repair and invest in Australia’s housing system?
Lugging their possessions in a car, the family moves from campsite to campsite occasionally.
“We miss out on a lot of nutrition, basic hygiene is difficult to maintain, it gets really overheated in the tent, and then it gets really cold,” Sushannah continued.
“And the hardest part would be the financial challenges, being homeless is expensive.”
“We do the best we can but sometimes, it’s just not enough. Now we’re just surfing around in a tent and looking for safe places to sleep.”
Image Credit: @sushannah_
Sushannah admitted that their circumstance fills her with ‘lots of anxiety and uncertainty’.
“We are applying for work, and I am on Centrelink. We’ve actually just had job interviews today,” she added. “The plan is to get a job and stick it out in a tent until we can get a rental.”
The couple has been desperately seeking career opportunities, applying for positions in retail, hospitality, warehouse, and cleaning.
“I’m applying for weekend work and my husband is applying for part-time to full-time work,” she shared. “Me, however, I’ve been a stay-at-home mum for the past two years so it’s going to be a little bit more difficult for me to jump back in but I’m trying.”
Her husband has applied for over 40 jobs - but was only called back for three interviews.
“My husband is even considering an apprenticeship,” she said.
Sushannah is very open about their struggles with homelessness as she often shares their experience on TikTok.
“My husband worked full-time before we went homeless,” she said. “It’s not so much being homeless that is most scary, it’s not so much sleeping in a tent that is scary, it’s sort of like camping... it’s the not knowing.”
“Obviously, we can’t stay at one campsite too long because other people want to book ahead of time. It’s just constantly having to move.”
“I know where we’re going to be until Saturday but come Sunday morning, I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
Video Credit: @sushannah_
The mum added that they have spared no effort to find long-term accommodation without success.
“I’ve been calling up homeless shelters but they’re all full, no surprise there,” she shared. “We’ve got the money to move into a rental, we have that money. The problem is the rental crisis, there is no affordable housing.”
“And even if there is housing that’s affordable, it’s extremely competitive. So I’m not really doing as well as I’d hoped. I’m quite nauseous right now but that’s a feeling I’m used to at this point.”
The only silver lining in their situation is how often they are approached by selfless people, keen to offer them a helping hand.
Kind-hearted strangers have been offering them financial assistance as well as opening their homes temporarily just to keep them off the streets.
“Hey, I live a couple of hours south of you. If you find yourself down this way I've got a spare bedroom. I'm renting but can cover the rent on my own already.” one user wrote in the comments section of her video.
A few days ago, several strangers donated money for essentials such as food, fuel, baby nappies and wipes, and campsite expenses but Sushannah refuses to accept help as much as possible.
“Unfortunately, I cannot take anyone’s money. There are people far worse off than I am and they need your money much more than I do,” she said.
“I have savings. I have always been saving for a crisis like this because I knew what state the country was in. So until I get very desperate, I can’t accept your money – but thank you so much for the offers.”
“As for the offers for beds, my family and I have already uprooted ourselves and moved six to seven hours away from where we were previously living to find a more secure location.”
Although she confessed to previously accepting money to acquire small essentials (during a very rough patch), she stands by how the only things the family desperately needs right now are jobs and a home.
“We have the money and the rental history but there’s just not much available,” Sushannah says.
A study by Anglicare found that of 45,000 properties analysed, only seven were affordable for a person on the JobSeeker payment.
Less than 1 percent were affordable for those on disability support or the age pension.
Image Credit: The Guardian
“Australia’s housing crisis has reached a fever pitch. No part of the country has been spared. Rents are shooting up in towns and regions, and our cities have never been more expensive,” Anglicare Australia executive director Kasy Chambers stated.
“We keep hearing that this election is about living costs, but housing is the biggest cost facing Australians. People on low incomes don’t stand a chance. Less than 2 per cent of rentals are affordable for a full-time worker on the minimum wage. For a person out of work, it’s 0 per cent.”
“Voters are desperate for action. Instead, parties are promising more of the same. At best they are offering grants that overheat the market. At worst they ignore the problem, telling struggling renters to buy a house. That’s not good enough.”
What are your thoughts on this story? Share them with us in the comments!
Watch one of Sushannah’s TikTok videos below:
Video Credit: @sushannah_
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