A Perth mother and her five children forced to live in a tent during Australia’s housing and cost of living crisis
- The devastating reality of family during the housing crisis
- Family of five in Perth living in a caravan
- They have been homeless for eight months
Australia’s housing crisis has once again been laid bare when a mother and her five children are forced to live in a caravan, with the children missing out on crucial schooling.
Patricia Price and her five children have been evicted from their rental accommodation, leaving them with no choice but to live in a makeshift home.
The family in Bunbury, nearly two hours’ drive south of Perth, have been homeless for eight months.
A Perth family have been forced to live in a trailer after being evicted from their rental home.
Ms Price, who works as a mental health support worker, said 7Newsshe desperately tried to find a home.
“We saw a lot of inspections, but it was like a nightclub inside houses,” she said.
“We couldn’t even find a park outside to visit these properties.
“I feel like I let them down,” she said of her children.
The mother and her children are now confined to an old caravan they bought, with the family of six crammed into three single beds each night.
Ms Price said her 15-year-old son, who is six feet tall, is sleeping in a small Kmart tent outside.
The woman lamented Australia’s severe housing crisis, fueled by soaring rents and a lack of decent properties.
“I’ve already paid off two people’s mortgages during my rental period, and I still have no place for my family to go,” she said.
Her family’s heartbreaking situation means Ms Price’s children have been unable to attend school.
The family, homeless for eight months, are confined to this caravan which has only three single beds, leaving Ms Price’s 15-year-old son to sleep in a small tent outside.
They are currently homeschooled by their mother, but she says they are not getting the education they need within the standard learning structure.
The family has also been forced to move to several caravan parks, as most sites impose a limit on the number of days tenants can stay on the premises.
It costs $100 per night to stay on a trailer site that provides electricity.
However, Ms. Price and her family have to pay an extra $15 per person to power their trailer.
Ms Price and her family have moved to several caravan sites because the number of days they can stay at the site is limited.
The family was eventually put on the priority housing list, after enduring grueling ordeals to get help from the authorities, including non-profit organisations.
According to the Salvation Army, there are currently 122,494 homeless people in Australia.
This figure represents a 5% increase from the number of people declared homeless in the 2016 census.
