The mother of a boy living with a severe disability says she was told to use “spells” to magically find a home as the family faces homelessness.
Katie Fattel, 40, who lives in a rented home in Woodville, north-west Adelaide, has been given until September to move out of her home.
The lease on the property is about to end and the house has suffered significant water damage, which needs to be repaired.
Housing authorities also told Fattel that the residence could not accommodate her 4-year-old son Cassian, who has cerebral palsy.
Cassian requires the assistance of several machines to support his leg and neck, and having a place to live is essential to his ongoing care.
The mother of seven applied for public housing through the SA Housing Trust in January.
The employee upgraded her application to category one, which is reserved for people who urgently need housing.
When Ms. Fattel asked the employee how long it would take to receive an offer, she claimed she had been provided with links to websites containing spells on how to make a wish for a house.
Katie Fattel, 40 (pictured), who lives in a privately rented home in Woodville, north-west Adelaide, has until September to move out of her privately rented home.
“My heart sank, I couldn’t believe it,” she said. 7News.
Ms. Fattel was given information on how to set up a tent and where to get camping equipment when she asked what she should do if her family became homeless.
The South African Housing Trust is understood to have launched an investigation into the matter and the worker will receive further education and support.
Ms Fattel said the social worker has been doing everything possible to provide assistance to her.
“She saw Cassian and I in crisis, she knows our situation in a way that the people at the top don’t,” Fattel said.
“They are very far from the reality of people in crisis.”
Australians continue to struggle to find affordable housing as inflation and rising interest rates push up house prices across the country.
Figures for the March quarter showed the median price of an apartment in Adelaide was $489,557 according to property website Domain.
The median home price in the city is valued at $902,332.
Ms Fattel said she was provided with links to websites containing spells on how to magically ask for a house (file image)
South Africa’s Housing Minister Tim Koutsantonis and Human Services Minister Natalie Cook have apologised to Ms Fattel for the response she received.
Ms Cook said the advice fell short of the support that should be provided to those in urgent need of accommodation services.
Ms Fattel will now have to wait at least seven months to find a home and has urged Prime Minister Peter Malinauskas to intervene.
“Who would think that they are more needy than my son, who will die without a home?” she said.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted SA Housing and the Minister for Housing for comment.
