Coast schoolkids ‘sleeping in cars’
PARENTS are trying to bring up their children while living in cars or tents amid an unprecedented housing crisis on the Gold Coast.
The vacancy rate for rentals has fallen to a record low of 0.4 per cent in the city, while Gold Coast residents face Queensland’s longest average wait for social housing at 40 months.
Karen Phillips, who is an ambassador for the Vinnies CEO Sleepout, said there were families forced to use council facilities to get their children ready for school.
“They’re getting them ready in Surfers Paradise in the public showers, they’re dressing them and they’re going to school hungry,” Ms Phillips said. “For many of them, they’ve never been part of this framework before. where they rely on social housing or they rely on support mechanisms. We’re seeing an immense change.”
Vinnies Gold Coast regional president Garry Webb said the charity had recently helped a woman who was living with her child in a tent.
Mr Webb said the charity was also trying to help prevent other people from becoming homeless amid sharply increased rental costs, but the surging demand was putting pressure on its limited funds.
“I also saw recently a single mum with a two-year-old,” Mr Webb said. “She was behind in her rent.
“If you’re doing that (providing rental assistance) twice a year that’s $1000. You’re keeping a roof over her head, because once you lose the roof, everything else starts to fall apart. It’s a relatively cheap win, but for us as a conference, $1000 is a lot of money.”
According to the Queensland Council of Social Service (QCOSS), there are currently 4971 people waiting for social housing on the Gold Coast from 3122 applications.
Children are included in 725 of those applications.
QCOSS chief executive Aimee McVeigh said families were being forced into unimaginable situations.
“Women and children are returning to domestic violence situations and living in cars with newborns because there is nowhere else to go,” Ms McVeigh said.
“Children are going to school from cars, tents and motel rooms and the situation is getting worse. Everyone deserves a home and we are calling on all parties contesting the federal election to ensure this is the case.”
■ The Vinnies CEO Sleepout takes part on June 23 at CBUS Super Stadium. To learn more, visit www.ceosleepout.org.au