Tent homes, microwave meals: Australian families forced onto the street as investors snap up homes

An investigation by The Daily Telegraph found a dire shortage of rental homes has forced tradies, families, business owners and other professionals to live in shanty towns, motels, cars and even on a balcony.

Working families who are loading their children into cars and tents for a life on the streets are the face of a new generation of homelessness – a crisis which is decimating the middle class amid urgent calls for affordable housing.

An investigation by The Daily Telegraph found a dire shortage of rental homes has forced tradies, families, business owners and other professionals to live in shanty towns, motels, cars and even on a balcony.

Relentless natural disasters have wiped out homes on the coast and inland, while city buyers and cashed-up investors snap up much of the remaining stock.

The housing crisis has exploded in multiple pockets around the state, with no clear estimate on how many people are out of homes and do not qualify for social housing.

Many people the Telegraph met chose to speak anonymously because they did not want their friends and family to know of their struggles.

The North Head Camping ground just north of Moruya has become a permanent residence for people unable to find affordable rental accommodation or suitable housing. Picture: Rohan Kelly

Rachel McDonell and her partner Clinton Harris are spending every minute in fear of the sheriff knocking on their door as the lease on their Barrack Heights emergency accommodation expired a week ago.

The couple and their four children have packed their bags and are looking for tents, afraid they will have to go join other homeless people sleeping in a car park along Lake Illawarra in Wollongong.

Rachel McDonell and her partner Clinton Harris fear they will have to go live in a tent in Warrawong. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“I keep having panic attacks, it’s just horrible. Honestly, if I didn’t have kids, I’d just get rid of myself. I don’t do it because of the kids,” Ms McDonell said through tears.

“There are (people) sleeping along the lake in the carpark there, we might end up there … It’s too cold to be outside.”

Mr Harris works at the docks and the couple can afford a home for $550 a week – but despite offering advanced rent of $3000, they still have not found anything.

“I’m just looking for a secure tent, a durable tent that won’t blow away in the wind or get flooded, that I might be able to lock or something,” Ms McDonell said.

The family’s emergency accommodation lease ran out three days ago and Rachel is waiting for the sheriff to knock on their door any minute. Picture: Jonathan Ng

“(My) five year old is really struggling, he keeps asking if it’s time to go and where he is going to put his toys. The 14 year old won’t get out of bed, it’s really affecting her mental health. The other kids are just quiet, they don’t know what to do.”

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LISTEN: Journalist Angira Bharadwaj discusses the NSW housing crisis – press play below

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Danea Cowell from Anglicare NSW said she had witnessed harrowing stories like Ms McDonell’s countless times.

“We have quite a few people who have been living in their car, couch surfing. We have a 20 year old living on someone’s balcony, people just living in the bush,” she said.

“We are seeing a trend of no fault evictions … just because landlords know they can rent it out at double the price.

“Historically, down the south coast, it’s been low socio-economic and a lot of retirees. That was exacerbated by the fires, floods and Covid. We’ve just been pushed and pushed and pushed.”

One resident at the site swaps between living in his friend’s tent and living in his car. Picture Rohan Kelly

Bega MP Michael Holland said the government should consider incentives like tax relief or discounts to encourage people to rent out their properties instead of putting them on Airbnb.

“We need people to have rental opportunities, small houses they might be able to occupy,” he said.

In the Hunter, single mum Charmaine Brookes and her four children are staying in a motel for $875 a week and eat microwave meals.

“I skip meals regularly because I can’t feed anyone. Actually, I haven’t eaten in two days,” she said.

“My six year old started blaming himself because on his birthday he got presents … he said to me ‘Mum did my birthday make us broke and poor?’.”

Charmaine Brookes, 35 and her four kids are living in a motel in Cessnock because they can’t find a rental anywhere. Picture: David Swift

Ms Brookes and Ms McDonell are trying to raise funds through crowdsourcing platform GoFundMe.

Labor housing spokeswoman Rose Jackson called on the state government to urgently invest in affordable housing in regional NSW and abolish no-grounds evictions.

The NSW Department of Planning said in a statement that $2.8bn was being spent to “supercharge” the supply of housing over the next four years. The statement said councils had the ability to “cap” the number of days a home was able to be let as a short-term, or holiday, rental.

To help these families facing homelessness, you can donate to their GoFundMe:

Charmaine’s fundraiser: https://gofund.me/3ea69780

Rachel’s fundraiser: https://gofund.me/3ea69780