Toowoomba housing crisis: Family moves into caravan while trying to find rental accommodation

The rental market has tightened so much in Toowoomba that families have been forced to rent caravans and park up at caravan parks for months on end.

After spending 12 years renting a property at East Greenmount, the Weir family had no reason to expect that they would spend the past nine months essentially homeless and renting a caravan, moving from park to park across Toowoomba.

When their lease expired and was not renewed in November last year, Patricia Weir said she, her husband Donald and 20-year-old son Daniel-John had “no other choice” but to rent a caravan and find a place to stay while they desperately searched for rental accommodation.

Donald, Daniel-John and Patricia Weir have been forced to live in a caravan for the past nine months as they struggle to find rental accommodation in Toowoomba.

That was in January, and the family is still no closer to finding somewhere to call home.

“We’ve put in close to 1000 application, and every time we get knocked back,” she said.

“There are houses out there that are in our price range but they get snapped up like you wouldn’t believe.

“We keep getting knocked back by real estate agents because they only take into account 30 per cent of our income even though we’re currently paying more than $800 a fortnight in site fees and rent for the caravan.”

Patricia, Daniel-John and Donald Weir in the caravan they've been living in for nine months as they struggle to find rental accommodation in Toowoomba.

Their difficult situation is only made worse by the medical conditions the family face, with Donald suffering wfrom hearing problems, Daniel-John living with high-functioning autism and Mrs Weir claiming a carer’s pension for them both, while also living with diabetes, high blood pressure and knee and back complaints.

“My husband is on a disability pension, my son’s on a disability pension and I get carer’s pension and carer’s allowance which is well over $1700 a fortnight yet they only take into account 30 per cent of that,” she said.

“It’s getting to the point where we’ve just about had it with each other. It worries not only just but the extended family … they’re concerned that we can’t find a house.”

Mrs Weir said the family will be on the move again at the end of the week to a caravan park in Pittsworth.

“Donald has a couple of days work a week laying turf, and my son has been doing work experience at a laundromat, so hopefully they’ll be able to keep that up,” she said.

“We have tried all the crisis housing groups and the housing commission and we are moving up the line but just not quick enough, we really need to get out of this caravan.”