‘Heartless‘: Homeless mother with disabled son lashes SA Housing rules
A mother of three says that after 12 years on the public housing list and months in a cramped room, she worries a “heartless” system will evict her and her kids at a moment’s notice.
SA News
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After five months in a motel room, DV survivor Stephanie Scott says she feels worn down by SA Housing Trust, saying they are all-compliance and no support.
Ms Scott currently lives in the emergency accommodation paid in-part by the SA Housing Trust, with three children aged two, eight and 12, where for the past five months she has been required to attend multiple property inspections and apply for 10 houses every week or face near immediate eviction.
“I am not going to get private accommodation because of the barriers I face, I know that” she said.
Ms Scott told the Advertiser she struggles to find time to do this – dealing with severe mental health problems and driving a total of two hours and 40 minutes a day to get the children to and from school – but she has to or risks facing living outdoors.
She also said that she doesn’t actually get any help from the housing agency she describes as “heartless” and “having no compassion – Anglicare SA.
Anglicare SA is paid by the government to manage her housing, but she says their work is all about compliance rather than the support she desperately needs.
It comes as the Advertiser reported this week single mothers are dealing with SA Housing Trust’s “overly onerous” requirements to allow them to stay in emergency accommodation, leaving them and their young children with nowhere to go but sheds, tents or backpackers.
Seven homeless or formerly homeless mothers with young children came forward to talk about the stress they face from not-for-profits to apply for up to 20 private rentals a week and inspect up to seven private rentals a week.
“My eight-year-old son is also severely autistic and can’t cope with long drives. I have got support letter after support letter saying the accommodation is not suitable for many different reasons but I am getting nowhere” Ms Scott said.
Ms Scott said the only reason she got the last private rental was because it was “not inhabitable” and when she pushed the landlord to fix the property, he responded by seeking out other tenants.
Ms Scott said that she felt like Anglicare SA, who case manage her, “lack compassion” and are more concerned with her following rules than offering support and solutions.
A spokeswoman from the SA Housing Trust said people provided with emergency accommodation pay for some of their accommodation costs and are otherwise expected to engage with services to find a “pathway out of emergency accommodation”.
Housing Minister Nick Champion said: “Like all government programs, emergency accommodation has eligibility criteria and stipulations which encourages people to find housing.”
Anglicare SA Anglicare told the Advertiser they “work closely with all clients
who present to our homelessness services in working towards meeting their needs”.
It said its specialist homeless service alliance was “a program funded by, and its eligibility criteria is set by, the state government”.
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