Two housing offers in two weeks for near-homeless family after months on government waitlist

The Adelaide mother at the heart of an outcry over official efforts to help her find a home says it should not have taken so much public outrage.

It took a media frenzy, but Katie Fattel and her severely disabled son have finally received a home.

In July, The Advertiser reported she and her four-year-old Cassian, who requires constant life support, were forced to vacate their rental because of structural damage and mould, and were being rejected from the private rental market.

With Cassian facing life-threatening illness without a home, an otherwise helpful but desperate Housing Trust worker sent her online guides for ‘manifesting’ a house – referring to a spiritual practice that suggests thoughts can influence real-world outcomes.

Katie and Cassian Fattel at their house in Park Holme. Picture: Ben Clark

Within two weeks of The Advertiser’s front-page story, and after six months on the public waitlist, the 40-year-old mother received two offers from a community provider with a home that could be disability-modified.

Speaking to The Advertiser, she acknowledged her story was a “sympathetic” one but that others were less fortunate.

“In the end, it just got too big for anyone to ignore it, but we shouldn’t have to go to the media to find a house for a disabled child,” Ms Fattel said.

Cassian’s breathing has improved since moving into his new home, according to mother Katie. Picture: Ben Clark

“There are hundreds of people out there who need a safe home, and maybe they don’t have this perfect storm around them, and we’re not necessarily more deserving than anyone else.

“We’re thankful, but it shows that it’s a choice and that more homes need to be built.”

They moved into their Park Holme two-bedroom last month, and Cassian is breathing easier thanks to the cleaner air, while Ms Fattel is finishing her honours thesis in social work.

Ms Fattel said she was not contacted by then-acting Housing Minister Tom Koutsantonis or his office, after he said he would “personally case manage” the family’s situation.

Cassian in the hospital shortly after surviving a backyard pool drowning. Picture: Katie Fattel

Theo Fattel with his 18-month-old son. Picture: Katie Fattel

Mr Koutsantonis’ office referred questions to a Housing Trust spokesman, who said the agency “worked with specialised disability housing providers to identify a suitable property”.

“Staff at the Trust work extremely hard to ensure all homes are suitable for tenants and in this case, managed to meet a number of complex requirements despite limited availability,” the spokesman said.

“I don’t know what, if anything, was done behind the scenes, but I know the only reason we got help was because of these manifestation emails – otherwise, we would have been in the same situation as everyone else,” Ms Fattel said.

“We were told there was nothing out there, and that we would just have to wait, and for some reason there were two houses out there sitting unoccupied. Before that, all we heard was, ‘Sorry, we’re doing everything we can’.

“You get to this point of despair where you feel paralysed, but you know you just have to keep fighting, and that’s what we’ll keep doing.”

There are currently at least 15,000 people on the Housing Trust waitlist.

Originally published as Two housing offers in two weeks for near-homeless family after months on government waitlist