Be Their Champion: Couch surfers say SA Housing Trust tells them they are not homeless

Alexandrina Campbell says she spent five years living on a couch but was told by SA Housing Trust that she was “housed” and so would have to wait 15 years to get public housing.

A woman who spent five years living on a couch was told repeatedly by SA Housing Trust that she was “housed” and would have to wait 15 years to get public housing.

Alexandrina Campbell said that she spent five years sleeping on various couches and ended up losing her job in banking.

She said a combination of sleep deprivation and the SA Housing Trust’s “pressure to constantly attend house inspections for private rentals” just to stay on the state’s public housing waitlist was the reason.

She also said this led her to become separated from her children – then six, four and two – and throughout this time Housing Trust told her she was “housed” even though she was sleeping on a couch.

Alexandrina Campbell has been moved into temporary accommodation after five years of couch surfing. Picture: Brenton Edwards

“They told me I would need to wait between 10 and 15 years to get a public housing house,” she said.

SA Housing Trust has denied that they regard couch surfing as housed and say anybody who is couch surfing is put into the highest needs category.

However, a SA Housing Trust email sighted by The Advertiser appears to contradict this claim.

The email related to another case where a father was sleeping on a couch with his disabled son often sleeping on the floor beneath him.

An advocate for the man was told by SA Housing Trust she needed to show that the pair were at “risk of imminent homelessness” despite them presently being homeless.

The volunteer advocate said this came after a lengthy argument with SA Housing Trust over the phone where she alleges the worker suggested the man was not homeless and needed to contact them “when he became homeless.”

She said her situation meant she was now separated from her children. Picture: Brenton Edwards

SA Housing Trust deny that by telling a person who is currently living on a couch that they need to show evidence of being at “risk of imminent homelessness” that they do not regard sleeping on a couch as homeless.

The advocate said the man, who has learning difficulties and mental health problems, has been repeatedly asked to submit multiple documents – which she says he is unable to complete due to his learning disorder – and has to continue to apply for private rentals in order to stay on the state’s public housing waitlist.

Ms Campbell said she moved to her mother’s house when her DV emergency accommodation expired after 12 months and unable to find a private rental because her ex partner had damaged the property that was in her name.

She said when she reached out for public housing, SA Housing Trust told her she was technically “housed” and her needs level downgraded.

She said she provided three letters from doctors as well as letters from her children’s school but SA Housing Trust said it was not sufficient evidence of her needs and instead gave her numbers for private caravan parks.

Ms Campbell said it was only when she was forced to move into her car and got a letter to say she had developed a permanent mental health condition from years of sleep deprivation that she was offered emergency accommodation.

The Advertiser’s Be Their Champion campaign is calling on Housing Minister Nick Champion to ease the emotional burden on people struggling to put a roof over their heads.

It urges the state government to cut the debilitating requirements that women say are having a devastating effect on their mental health.

Mr Champion said despite what Ms Campbell was told, couch surfing was deemed to be homeless.

“Anyone couch surfing who needs help should seek support from the appropriate homelessness service,” he said.