Homeless on the Gold Coast for first time: How people who never expected it are sleeping in cars

The rental crisis has created a new cohort – people sleeping in cars who you would never expect. This is their experience.

Abigail is in her sixties. She has been living in her car for a year.

Volunteers with Orange Sky – a charity providing a free laundry service for people who need it – well remember when Abigail first appeared at their Southport hub.

“A year ago, when she came to us, she was so embarrassed,” volunteer Jenny Marshall said.

“She never imagined she’d be in that position.

“But living in her car is all she can afford.”

Twelve months on, Abigail’s character has changed.

“Initially, she slept outside her GP’s office, because that’s the only place she felt safe,” Ms Marshall said.

“But she’s learnt now she has to move around.

“And she’s toughened up. She’s become part of that cohort, adjusted to her environment.”

Orange Sky volunteers Sonia Smith, Jenny Marshall and Terri Percy at work in Southport. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

Abigail – not her real name – is one of many such women who, at an age when most would be entering retirement, found themselves homeless for the first time.

Ms Marshall volunteers to help do laundry with Orange Sky each Thursday at a community hub in Southport where free meals, showers and other services are also available.

She has been doing so for five years – in which time she says demand has soared. Many of the new “friends”, as Orange Sky call the people they help, are Gold Coast locals who have found themselves living in their cars.

“When I first started, it was maybe two out of every ten living in their car,” Ms Rogers said.

“Now it’s five out of every ten.”

In research by Orange Sky commissioned to coincide with Homelessness Week, which runs from August 6 to August 13, one in three people said they have been severely affected by the cost of living crisis.

More than a quarter said they were sacrificing basic living essentials. Twenty per cent said they worried about having enough food to eat.

Orange Sky co-founders Lucas Patchett and Nic Marchesi.

Lucas Patchett, co-founder and CEO of Orange Sky, said ongoing high rents and cost of living could lead to many more people experiencing homelessness.

“Sadly, homelessness can impact anyone, and all it can take is failing to pay rent once, a rental increase, the loss of employment, or an unfortunate circumstance for the cycle to start,” he said.

“We know Australians are doing it really tough right now. With the ongoing rise in cost of living pressures, it means people who never thought they would be in the position of financial struggle are reaching out for support.

“Homelessness is a complex issue and can look different for a lot of people. Some people are forced to sleep on the streets, however some are living out of their cars, or sleeping on a friend’s couch. Orange Sky’s services have never been busier.”

The charity’s Southport volunteers, who are at the frontline of that demand, say the service they provide helps give their people dignity and hope when they are at one of the toughest points in their lives.

“A wash is so important,” Ms Rogers said. “They are so grateful.”

James Edwards using the Orange Sky laundry service. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

‘LIFESAVING’ SERVICE FOR THOSE DOING IT TOUGH

James Edwards is a regular user of the Orange Sky service in Southport.

The 24-year-old has been without a proper home for the last year, couch-surfing and sleeping rough on quiet parts of a Gold Coast beach.

He said the escalation in the cost of living since Covid, including in rental costs, had made it hard for him to find his own place.

“Ever since Covid, everything went up,” he said.

“Everyone was getting $1800 a fortnight, but then the cost of everything just went up.

“... Rent is insane at the moment.”

Mr Edwards said a friend had helped him find a quiet spot on the beach to sleep, out of the way of passing locals.

He said it was a peaceful spot, but very cold overnight during winter.

“You put three or four jumpers on, three trackies on and you’re still freezing,” he said.

Mr Edwards said the help from Orange Sky and other services located at the Set Free Care Community Hub in Southport was invaluable.

“It’s lifesaving,” he said. “When you’ve got nothing, they’ve always got something for you.”

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