Homeless forced to live in tents at Noarlunga Downs with months long wait for SA Housing Trust

A father and his son are forced to camp at Perry’s Bend in their months-long wait for housing. They have nowhere to keep food cool and wildlife roams around their makeshift home.

People are being forced to camp at Perry's Bend near Port Noarlunga after finding themselves homeless. Picture: Brenton Edwards

Mick and his 20-year-old son Daniel live in tents at Port Noarlunga, they have nowhere to keep food cool, no showers and they recently found a snake curled up outside the canvas door.

There are now four people living at Perry’s Bend, just down the hill from houses, after the City of Onkaparinga helped two of their tent neighbours find emergency accommodation.

Mick, 46, has been waiting “a couple of months” for an appointment with the SA Housing Trust after finding himself homeless but was told staff are struggling to meet demand.

Inside the tent at Perry's Bend near Port Noarlunga. Picture: Brenton Edwards

In the meantime, he and Daniel are searching for work to ensure Centrelink payments continue while they wait.

“I was working on a farm in Queensland but the farm was flooded three times. I was renting a home on the property, but the owners had to sell and I came here for a fresh start,” Mick, who has no car, says.

Rising homelessness is seeing people camping at Perry's Bend near Port Noarlunga. Picture: Brenton Edwards

The two lived with Mick’s father in Aldinga but after a family altercation became homeless, a local church member provided the tent.

“I’ve got another son in Queensland, I haven’t seen him for two years now, he and his partner wanted to pay for us to go up there but they have a little girl and I didn’t want them to spend the money,” Mick says.

“The way I see it, we might be doing it tough but there’s people out there doing it harder because of ill health, that’s the way I look at it.”

People are camping at Perry's Bend near Port Noarlunga due to homelessness. Picture: Brenton Edwards

City of Onkaparinga director community Julia Grant said the council knew people living at Perry’s Bend faced difficult issues and was sending outreach workers to make regular welfare checks plus link people with food and housing application assistance.

“However, the current arrangements are not sustainable and we need a comprehensive approach to homelessness,” Ms Grant said.

“Building houses and increasing supply is part of the solution but does not address the urgency of the situation facing these people now.”