Pods create five-star backyard

TASMANIANS doing it tough, who thought they had nowhere to live, have been phoning Josh Muskett in tears.

But they are tears of happiness, thanks to the comfortable prefabricated, miniature homes he has been whipping up in just weeks for people at risk.

Podmatrix has built about 40 pods for the state government, which is installing them in the backyards of traditional public housing residences.

“People find these are 5star living compared to where they’ve been,” director Mr Muskett said.

“We’re getting people ringing up crying because they’re so happy with the product. So it’s really nice for us and for the guys who deliver these.”

The prefabricated homes were displayed alongside temporary shipping container dwellings at Hobart’s first Housing Ends Homelessness expo yesterday.

Housing minister Roger Jaensch said the temporary dwellings took people off public housing waiting lists.

“Sometimes there is a family that has outgrown the house that it’s in now. Sometimes it’s become a blended family, or maybe one of the younger generation have brought a partner home or there’s a baby coming,” he said.

“When that situation emerges, someone needs to move out and often it’s the young person, and often they’re the least able to compete in the market for accommodation.”

But he said with the pods, residents could still enjoy the support of their family and not need to compete or wait on long waiting lists. The rents charged depend on household incomes, and are currently capped at no more than 30 per cent of a person’s income.