Geelong housing crisis: Dad living in caravan tells of luckless 14-month rental search

A father of two who has been searching for a rental home for his family for more than a year is living in a caravan, as the extent of Geelong’s housing crisis is laid bare.

Alistair Turner has been living out of his caravan for 14 months and has applied for 145 rentals. Picture: Alan Barber

ALISTAIR Turner has been searching for a home for his family for more than a year.

The 39-year-old father of two has been living in a caravan outside his parents’ Corio house with his partner, Geraldine, for 14 months.

His children, 11 and 12 years old, are sharing a room inside the house while the family searches for a rental in Geelong’s north.

Mr Turner, who works full time in Port Melbourne, said the family had filled in about 145 rental applications and the ordeal was affecting his mental health.

Mr Turner said living out of a caravan and receiving more than 100 rejections is weighing on his mental health. Picture: Alan Barber

“It’s been really hard,” Mr Turner said.

“It gets to a point where you’re like, ‘what am I doing wrong?’

“Self doubt, anxiety kicks in.

“Especially from my perspective as a father and as a carer for this family, I feel like I’m not doing something right.

“I’ve never felt such defeat and such … shame.

“I feel ashamed as a person that I can’t provide for my family.

“It just wears me down.”

Mr Turner said the previous rental the family was in was sold by the owner “just when Covid hit”, and the move to his parents’ place was supposed to be for only a few months.

Mr Turner said receiving a reason for an application rejection would go a long way. Picture: Alan Barber

He said they have applied through every major agency to find a rental, and applied for government housing in mid-November 2022.

He said they were still waiting to hear from the government but understood the waitlists were an issue.

A Homes Victoria spokesperson said wait times for social housing were dependent on a number of factors, such as the number and the types of properties available, the demand in the areas an applicant wanted to live and how many people had been approved under the priority access.

Mr Turner said he wanted people to be aware of how bad the rental crisis was in Geelong, and that receiving a reason for a rental rejection would go a long way.

“We’re not getting any reason why we’re unsuccessful … it’s a standard email saying ‘you were unsuccessful’,” he said.

“There’s no reason to tell us what we’re doing wrong.

“It just feels like all we are is a piece of paper.

“It’s really heavy and really hard on you.

“It weighs on me because I just want to provide for the kids and my partner.

“I want them to have a (home).”

Geelong real estate agent Lynda White said Geelong was a very tight market, with a lot of competition for rentals. Picture: Supplied

Geelong real estate agent Lynda White said one property manager could be in charge of between 120-250 properties.

The agent with 23 years’ experience said there were a number of reasons an applicant could be rejected including references not responding quickly, or references not being “glowing”.

“Also in a tight rental market like ours … you’re competing against people offering to pay upfront,” she said.

Ms White said her two top tips for applications were personalising it with photos of your family and any pets, and being prepared to be flexible with location to “just that little bit further away”.

Geelong’s worsening housing stress

Geelong’s housing crisis is continuing to worsen, with demand for support services “soaring”.

The Community Housing Industry Association (CHIA) and University of New South Wales analysed housing stress in Australia based on census data and found 5.9 per cent of households in the Geelong region are not appropriately housed.

This means an estimated 7500 households in Geelong are either experiencing homelessness, living in overcrowded homes or spending more than 30 per cent of their income on rent.

Council to Homeless Persons chair, Jane Barnes, said last year almost 5000 people across Victoria reached out to specialist homelessness services for help.

“Demand for homelessness services is soaring as more people and families struggle to find somewhere to live,” she said.

Ms Barnes said demand was “soaring” for homelessness services. Rough sleepers camping out in Little Malop St, Geelong. Picture: Brad Fleet

“That’s why it’s so critical that these organisations, which play a crucial role in Geelong, are funded properly.”

Ms Barnes said the region’s housing crisis was “pushing more people toward homelessness” with less than one in 10 properties being affordable.

“That’s just 135 affordable rental properties in Greater Geelong,” Ms Barnes said.

“Twenty years ago it was three in four properties.

“For someone looking for a two-bedroom property, only one in 50 are affordable.”

Bethany’s South West housing and therapeutic services executive manager, Sharlene Gillick, said housing affordability and stress had a significant impact on families and individuals’ mental health, causing feelings of hopelessness and a sense of disconnection from their communities.

“The significant increase in regional rents and significantly low vacancy rates means that people are competing for suitable and affordable properties, and they are becoming out of reach, for not only people on low income, but also people earning a decent wage,” she said.

“The face of homelessness is changing, and more people are unable to get a look in when applying for a rental.”

A Homes Victoria spokesperson said through the Big Housing Build, Greater Geelong was allocated a $180m minimum investment guarantee – which had already been exceeded – to create “modern, accessible, energy-efficient homes for people who need these most”.

“To date, $204m has been invested in Greater Geelong under the Big Housing Build and other social housing programs, to create 541 new homes,” the spokesperson said.

Ms Barnes said the state government needed to build 6000 social housing properties a year for at least the next decade.

“The Big Housing Build is a really welcome first step but that funding runs out mid-next year,” she said.

“The uncertainty of not having a safe and secure place to live is a deeply distressing experience, particularly for children.”

Ms Gillick said the rental crisis needed a “whole of regional” approach, which included all levels of government, community, and business.

Originally published as Geelong housing crisis: Dad living in caravan tells of luckless 14-month rental search