Family in need of a home
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.
That was in January, and the family is still no closer to finding somewhere to call home.
“We’ve put in close to 1000 applications, 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. We’re currently paying more than $800 a fortnight in site fees and rent for the caravan.”
Their difficult situation has only been made worse by the medical conditions the family face, with Donald suffering from 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.
Mrs Weir said the family would be on the move again at the end of the week to a caravan park in Pittsworth.
“We have tried all the crisis housing groups and the housing commission and we are moving up the line but just not quick enough,” she said.
“We really need to get out of this caravan.”
PRD Toowoomba senior property manager Mitchell Betheras said rental demand far outweighed supply throughout the region.
“A real trend we’re seeing is people are applying for properties sight unseen, and with the number of applications coming there’s no desperation on our part, and that makes it difficult for people to get an opportunity,” he said.