Single mum on disability pension living in tent since early May

A mother forced to live in a tent refused a housing offer, parliament has been told, before an error saw her turned away from emergency shelter.

Human Services Minister Nat Cook has told parliament a homeless disability pensioner who was living in a tent refused a home offered to her and missed out on emergency accommodation because of an error on the part of staff.

In parliament, Ms Cook was forced to defend herself following claims homeless disability pensioner Meagan was told a hotel room had been booked for her by government housing workers, but was later told by the hotel there was no booking.

“There was a missed step in the confirmation booking,” Ms Cook said on Wednesday.

Minister of Human Service Nat Cook. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Morgan Sette

“This particular lady has been provided now ongoing hotel accommodation, in fact, yesterday she was offered a home, which she refused because of her complicated situation.”

Ms Cook said she did not phone to confirm the booking had been made because “frankly, I would be on the phone all night, every night, seven days a week”.

However, she said that Meagan had been offered a second property on Wednesday night, which she accepted.

It comes after the single mum on a disability pension said she had been forced to live in a tent away from her teenage son during winter after their rental lease was not renewed.

In another shocking case of SA’s rental crisis, Meagan, 36, has been living in the tent at the Big 4 Holiday Park at West Beach since the start of May.

The lease on her previous rental ended and was not renewed.

“I could not find a private property or rental property. I looked for numerous ones and applied for numerous properties but I was not eligible to get one,” Meagan said.

Meagan has had severe epilepsy for eight years and is on a disability pension. She also has a 16-year-old son who is couch surfing because of their struggle finding a rental property.

Meagan, a victim of the rental crisis, is living in a tent at West Beach Caravan Park. Picture: Tom Huntley

“I’ve applied for over 30 or 40 (properties), looking anywhere in the western suburbs. I have grown up in this area and all my family live in this area.

“I never thought that I would be in this situation, it’s been absolutely horrible staying in a tent. It’s not what I was hoping to do at this time of my life.”

Meagan said she’d contacted Ms Cook numerous times and had no response from her office. She also calls Housing SA every day and said they had bumped her up to number one on the waiting list.

“I’ve spoken to other people and they’ve told me the waiting list can be up to nine months. I’ve always rented privately, I’ve never been on the public housing list.”

Meagan said there were others in her situation in the park, struggling to eat and find a place to live.

“I walked down Jetty Road last week and there were five or six people sleeping in front of the Beach House.”

She said she paid $300 a week for a piece of grass and it was about time the government stepped up to help.

Within hours of going public, Ms Cook had offered Meagan short-term hotel accommodation and said she’d spoken to her personally twice.

“(Hotels) will get Meagan out of the weather and on a better bed than what you could have in a tent,” Ms Cook said.

“From there, the housing office is also now looking to allocate Meagan a more permanent place to call home and it’s being made easier now by conversation we’ve facilitated about increasing the areas in which Meagan is able to be offered a property.

“I am very happy to be able to provide that help to someone who has been through enough.”

However, Meagan later revealed she had arrived at the hotel to find there was no record of her booking.

A government spokesperson said the minister's office and other services had been in contact with Meagan multiple times since March.

Opposition community housing spokeswoman Michelle Lensink said it was “unacceptable” if the minister’s office hadn’t even picked up the phone.

“We think she deserves much better treatment than she’s been receiving, she obviously needs assistance,” Ms Lensink said.

Ms Cook said the government was increasing support to homeless services such as Hutt St Centre, Vinnies and Catherin House, as well as $177m for building 400 ST Housing Trust new homes and upgrading 350 properties.

Tent-living couple forced off riverbank

In the Mannum case, Tracy and Allen Short pitched their tents in Haythorpe Reserve on the banks of the Murray on March 16 after their previous Meningie landlords sold their rental.

As SA’s rental crisis worsens, Ms Short said they were determined to sleep rough in Mannum where they had previously lived for more than 40 years while searching for a rental but were “forced” to leave.

She said a combination of bad interactions with the Mid Murray Council and rough weather saw them pack up their tents this week and move to their daughter’s front yard at Meningie.

“I think they’re (the Mid Murray Council are) disgusting, there’s just no sympathy at all, they just don’t care, their whole attitude is ‘it’s not my problem, go away’”, Ms Short said.

They said the Mannum community including the Salvation Army and police were very caring and supportive of their situation.

Tracy, 59, and Allen Short, 60, pitched tents in Haythorpe Reserve in March. Picture: Dean Martin

“We’ve always had a really good rental history and we never thought we’d be homeless and within six weeks, we’re on the streets and there’s nothing to rent,” Mr Short, 60, said.

“We’ve been in Mannum for over 40 years, it’s not like we’ve come in and stayed here and not wanted to go, we’re locals, to do that to locals … doesn’t say much for them,” Ms Short said.

Ms Short, 59, said multiple members of the council had visited them by the riverbank and provided different reasons about why they had to move.

“First it was they wanted us to move so they could mow the lawn, then they said it was for insurance purposes they couldn’t let anyone stay there,” Ms Short said.

But the Mid Murray Region’s chief executive officer Ben Scales denied council had been unsympathetic.

The couple are now living in their daughter’s front yard. Picture: Dean Martin

“They were just asked to move camping grounds which is just a couple of hundred metres away because of the extended time the have been there without paying,” Mr Scales said.

“We are empathetic of the issue, we’ve tried to be supportive to allow them to say as long as they need while they secure a rental.”

Mr Scales said the Residency Park Act only allows someone to occupy public land for 59 days before the person has to claim residency.

“Housing is a big issue for the state and it’s something we raise with the State Government regularly,” he said.

The couple have applied for countless rental properties in the Murray Bridge and Mannum area in recent months and say they are not giving up.

“We’ll keep applying, any that come up we’ll keep going,” Ms Short said.

Originally published as Single mum on disability pension living in tent since early May