Single mum-of-seven Brooke Thomas’s plea for housing after being kicked out of Christie Downs property

Kicked out of their home with hundreds of rejected applications, a desperate single mum is pleading for help – but faces a 10-year wait from Housing SA.

A southern suburbs mother and her seven children will be homeless within days after being booted from their rental, with her oldest child now facing the start of high school from a motel room.

Brooke Thomas, 32, says she has applied for hundreds of houses and is on a Housing SA waitlist – but with just eight days left on her lease and no successful applications, her family will soon be on the street.

In 2020, after leaving a volatile relationship with an ex-partner, Ms Thomas and her children found themselves living in a tent and rejected by government services.

“Housing SA wouldn’t take me because we had the tent and the car, which technically counted as a roof over our head,” she said.

Ms Thomas said long-term residents at Moana Caravan Park raised noise complaints about her children and she was soon kicked out.

“I had everything for myself and the kids packed in the car and I thought: ‘I’m literally on the streets now’,” she said.

Mum of seven Brooke Thomas, 32 (middle) with her children (L-R) Bailey, 7, Leo, 9, Tiana, 8, Peyton, 3, Lily, 13, Addisyn, 5, and Tyrese, 12. Picture: Morgan Sette

Through homelessness providers, Ms Thomas was able to find what she thought was a long-term rental in 2021 – until she was told last year that her lease would only be renewed for six more months.

“We got offered the long-term house through a private provider and I thought: ‘Oh my God, my dreams are coming true. Are we not going to have to move any more?” Ms Thomas said.

“I went from a very clinical tiny four-bedroom thing in Seaford Meadows to this beautiful five-bedroom house, and the agreement did not state that it was anything other than long-term accommodation.

“A year into the lease I got a six-month renewal and I was like: ‘What have I done?’. It turned out it was actually transitional housing, but I hadn’t been told that.”

Ms Thomas said she had applied for hundreds of homes since learning of the lease expiration but, as most agents do not consider emergency or community housing as a rental reference, had been turned down for all of them.

“I couldn’t use my emergency housing, which was a year of completely paid rent and impeccable inspections,” she said.

“I’ve tried to plead with them saying that I’ll even pay more rent if I can stay here for a little bit longer to find somewhere … but I’ve come to this point now where they’re not even willing to let me stay.”

Ms Thomas’s children are now facing the start of the school year without a roof over their heads. Picture: Morgan Sette

Mum-of-seven Brooke Thomas was forced to leave most of the family’s belongings on the verge after being kicked out of their home. Picture: Supplied

Ms Thomas said she had since reached out to dozens of services and been placed on a Housing SA waitlist, but was told due to the size of her family that she could not be allocated a Housing Trust home for up to 10 years.

With a vacate date of January 25, Ms Thomas’s children – aged 13, 12, nine, eight, seven, five and three – will likely start school without a stable roof over their heads.

“I just want to be able to provide all the necessities for my kids, but it feels so horrible to be in this situation,” she said.

“It makes me feel like I’m not doing my job. No-one wants to rent to a single mum with that many kids.

“I almost don’t have any belongings left because I’ve had to get rid of everything.

“The other night I was just watching people take stuff I’d left out on the verge and I just stood there and cried … I spend a lot of time at night crying, but I don’t want to do it in front of the kids.

“I just want to be able to give them a home that won’t be taken away.”

After being approached by The Advertiser, Human Services Minister Nat Cook said she had reached out to Housing SA to see if they could provide help for Ms Thomas.

“It’s heartbreaking to see anyone experiencing insecure housing and homelessness, especially when there is a large number of children involved,” she said.

“I’ve had my office reach out to the housing service to see if anything can be done to find something suitable and if any other services are required to assist the family.”