A family of eight have been forced to live and sleep in a tent for over six months amid the country’s ongoing rental crisis.
Couple Cameron and Tameka Fletcher and their six children, aged between one and 10, have been living in a tent since September, moving from campsite to campsite after their last lease ended.
This week, the family – who had previously “always had a house” – moved into a makeshift tent city in a Brisbane park located in Queensland Premier Steven Miles’ electorate of Murrumba.
“We can only do what’s best for our kids, to keep a roof over their heads,” Ms Fletcher told 9News.
One of the couple’s daughters is due to start primary school next year but Mr Fletcher said she can’t be enrolled as the family doesn’t have a permanent address.
Without a permanent roof over their heads, the family said they are also struggling with everyday tasks such as showering and washing.
“We’re having to keep finding ways for them to have breakfast every morning,” said Mr Fletcher.
The parents said they would be happy to move into a three-bedroom home but the Department of Housing will only consider offering them a five-bedroom property to avoid overcrowding.
However according to 9News, there are none available.
In a statement to news.com.au, the department said it “has been working with the family since September last year, including providing accommodation which they chose to leave”.
“As we’ve been assisting them to find longer-term options, they have declined further offers of accommodation,” the statement said.
However, Ms Fletcher claimed the family the has been “shut out” ever since they first applied for help in September.
“They don’t reply to messages, emails, nothing,” she said of the housing department.
The department said there are eligibility factors that need to be met to provide social housing, including income thresholds.
“The department continues to work with the family to find a private rental and give any other support they might need,” they said.
The Fletchers are just one of many Australian families who have turned to living in tents amid low vacancy rates and rising rental prices.
“Everyone here is going through the same thing,” Mr Fletcher said.
Tent city in Brisbane’s Mckillop Park
Zane McGill was the first to start living in a tent in Mckillop Park in Rothwell, north of Brisbane, about 12 months ago when he lost his accommodation from a combination of health issues.
Mr McGill told NCA NewsWire last month he began living rough after a ruptured abscess put him in hospital.
His Centrelink payments only started coming through again six weeks after he was discharged, by which point the owner of the private rental Mr McGill was living in said he did not want to renew the lease.
“The one thing most people don’t understand is we might be homeless, but we’re not bums,” he said.
“We are people. We’ve been put in a difficult situation that I don’t think most genuine people would be able to deal with if they weren’t prepared for it.”
It comes as new PropTrack data, released in March, reveals rent has increased by 17 per cent over the past 12 months, across the combined capital cities in Australia.
Meanwhile, the national vacancy rate has dropped to a record low of 0.7 per cent, highlighting the gap between limited housing supply and increasing demand.
In Brisbane, the median unit rent has jumped almost 17 per cent compared to the start of last year to $560. The median Brisbane house rent is not that far ahead at $620 a week.
In Sydney – the most expensive city to rent in Australia – rent has climbed by more than $150 per week in close to 100 city suburbs over the past year.
Earlier this year, the Queensland government announced it was aiming to build another 53,500 social homes by 2046, adding to some $6 billion in housing investments.
“Backed in by a down payment towards this target of $1.25bn of additional funds, this adds to the $6bn investment in social and affordable housing our government has committed to,” a Queensland government statement reads.
“The state will also continue to partner with the federal government to secure funding to deliver on this ambitious target, including through the Social Housing Accelerator and ensuring Queensland gets its fair share under the Housing Australia Future Fund.”