Oakey family forced to leave rental just weeks after Christmas amid Toowoomba housing crisis

A family dealing with complex injuries and disabilities could be homeless within weeks, after being told their rental property won’t be renewed. Since then, they’ve already been rejected for 34 rentals.

Elissa and Daniel Gooderham are just weeks away from moving their family into a motel or a relative’s living room floor.

After dozens of unsuccesful rental applications, the Gooderhams and their three children fear they will relive the nightmare of temporary accomodation.

“We’re up to house 34 right now (looking for a rental) — I’m quite speechless,” the mother-of-three said.

The family, who currently rent a home just north of Oakey, have become the latest face of the Toowoomba region’s growing rental crisis.

Mrs Gooderham, who is the full-time carer of her husband after he suffered a long-term disability as a result of a workplace incident and has two children with autism, started renting a property from JLC Real Estate at the start of the year after being left homeless briefly.

Elissa and Daniel Gooderham with their children (youngest to oldest) Violet, Mia and Sammy Gooderham in their rental home outside of Oakey, Wednesday, December 7, 2022. Picture: Kevin Farmer

“We were actually left homeless at the start of this year and I put up a notice on social media to find a property,” she said.

“We stayed on mattresses on the floor of my mum’s house.”

The home they eventually found is owned by mining giant New Hope and not far from its New Acland Coal Mine, which recently was approved for a significant expansion.

After believing they would receive a long-term extension on their lease, the couple received a shock in September when they were told they would have until mid-January to find a new place.

It comes at a time when Toowoomba’s rental vacancy rate sits at just 0.4 per cent, having not risen above one per cent since December 2020.

Elissa and Daniel Gooderham with their children (youngest to oldest) Violet, Mia and Sammy Gooderham outside their rental home outside of Oakey, Wednesday, December 7, 2022. Picture: Kevin Farmer

A spokesman for New Hope denied the decision to not extend the lease had anything to do with the mine’s expansion.

“JLC Real Estate, who manages an Oakey property on behalf of New Hope Group recently notified a tenant their lease would not be renewed,” the statement said.

“The tenants were scheduled to vacate the property on December 28, however this has been extended to January 15.”

This is cold comfort to Mrs Gooderham, who asserted the family had been good tenants and are desperate to find a new home.

“We’re actively trying to find a house, we can’t afford $500 or $600 a week, so we’re looking as far as Warwick, Kingaroy or Dalby,” she said.

“My husband’s therapist is in Highfields, so we can’t leave the region and we can’t move out of the area.

“It’s a lot of disbelief, feeling like the little guy in this situation — we just want that roof over our head until we can find another one.”

New Hope New Acland coal mine stage two as seen from the rental property of the Gooderham family. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Originally published as Oakey family forced to leave rental just weeks after Christmas amid Toowoomba housing crisis