Mum’s desperate search for home

3800 families left on housing wait list

JUSTINA Shott fears she and her young family will become homeless next week, sharing her despair at a futile battle to find a long-term home amid the state’s housing crisis.

Time is fast running out for the mother of four, who says repeated failed attempts to solve her predicament with a government agency and several politicians had left her feeling numb.

Ms Shott and her four children, Cody, 17, Mitchell, 15, Hazel, 6, and Delilah, 3, have called a southern Tasmanian crisis accommodation shelter their home since late 2019, when the property they were living in was sold.

But the family has been told they will have to vacate the shelter next week, as a priority application on the social housing waiting list remains in limbo.

“It is really stressful and my mental health has reached breaking point,” the 35-yearold told the Mercury.

“I don’t know where we’re going to go. My family are emotionally supportive, but they can’t support me (with accommodation), their houses aren’t big enough and my friends don’t have their own houses.”

Ms Shott is one of 3813 families languishing on the public housing waiting list, with priority applicants waiting on average almost 54 weeks to be housed.

She has had a priority application since she and her children moved into the shelter. But despite repeated efforts to progress her case, she still does not know where she and her family will be sleeping after Friday next week.

“I’ve rang the government, I’ve gone to parliament members’ offices, written letters and emails and it just goes around in circles and it gets back to Housing Connect and they tell me they have no houses and I have to keep waiting,’’ Ms Shott said.

“I have never stopped searching the internet for (private rentals) … there is just nothing in my price range.

“At this point I’m really numb. This is the third time that I’ve done this and got to the point where we had nowhere to go, and I can’t do it again.”

Ms Shott said she was currently paying $300 per week to live at the shelter, but also had to pay for food, bills and medical appointments out of her Centrelink allowance.

A Department of Communities spokesman said the department would not comment on Ms Shott’s specific circumstances for privacy reasons.

“We encourage Tasmanians who are at risk of homelessness to contact Housing Connect for assistance with housing and support,’’ he said.

“Housing Connect helps clients apply for social housing and plan other options while they are waiting to be housed.

“This includes help finding private rental, accessing brokerage funding and crisis accommodation shelters or access to a Safe Space service.”

AT THIS POINT I’M REALLY NUMB. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THAT I’VE DONE THIS AND GOT TO THE POINT WHERE WE HAD NOWHERE TO GO. JUSTINA SHOTT