‘Do something, anything’: Desperate couple’s plea ahead of summit

Logan couple Xander and Trinda have been sleeping rough since 2019 and fear they will never be able to find a place to call home, despite having the money for rent.

Logan couple Xander Cage and Trinda Neilson, have been sleeping rough since 2019 after a range of personal events forced them out of public housing.

Now, three years later, they are unable to find accommodation despite applying for dozens of homes within their price range.

“At the moment we’re staying in the garage of a friend’s unit, and even that has become unstable,” Ms Neilson said.

“Housing is the hardest thing to get these days, and I’m forced to live and sleep rough. It’s horrible.

“I have four housing apps on my phone and we’ve applied for literally thousands of houses, units, everything that’s in our price range and still nothing. We still get turned down.

“I’ve been on the department of housing waitlist for over two years and I ring them every week asking them what’s going on, I need somewhere to live, and they keep saying ‘you’re on the list. Wait until something comes up’.”

Trinda Neilson and Xander Cage at Rosie’s Outreach, Logan. Picture: Richard Walker

Ms Neilson said the experience has been heartbreaking, knowing she now has the means to pay rent but is still constantly turned away.

“It shatters you. Like what more do we have to do?” she said.

“We can afford the places that we apply for, but to then get told no … Sometimes you really just feel like giving up”.

Mr Cage and Ms Neilson are both currently unemployed but despite their eagerness to work, not having a stable living arrangement has made the job search process all the more difficult.

“At the moment I’m unemployed. I wish I could get a job but not having anywhere to live makes finding employment hard as well, but without a job it’s hard to get accommodation,” Ms Neilson said.

Mr Cage added: “Because realistically, she can’t get a job if she doesn’t have somewhere stable to live, I can’t get a job because I don’t have somewhere to live.

“So I make extra money collecting cans and bottles. That’s what gets us through from payday to payday. It’s hard work.”

Ms Neilson said the situation was frustrating.

“How are we supposed to better our lives by getting employment if we don’t have anywhere to live? I mean, we don’t even have an address to put on our application,” she said.

Speaking ahead of a summit to take on Queensland’s housing crisis, Ms Neilson said the local councils and state government need to do more to help the hundreds of people suffering from homelessness across the South East region.

“Provide more suitable housing for people in our situation. Do something, anything,” she said.

“There’s plenty of abandoned buildings out there. Why not open them up, turn them into boarding rooms? Do something, show that you’re doing something for the people.

“You could open up the carparks and use them as sleeping spaces. There’s an old Bunnings building sitting there empty. They could use the carpark under there as a refuge for rough sleepers. Even if it’s only during the night-time it means there’s somewhere safe for people to go”.

Currently the couple rely on outreach programs such as Rosie’s Friends On The Street, to access basic necessities like food and amenities such as a hot shower and a washing machine to wash their clothes.

Originally published as ‘Do something, anything’: Desperate couple’s plea ahead of summit