Peninsula family desperate for rental home after six weeks in a tent
Elizabeth Allen
05May08
A SOUTHERN peninsula family, forced to live in a tent for six weeks, may resort to sleeping in their cars if they cannot find somewhere to rent.
The Wilson family has been camping on the Rosebud West foreshore since their rental property was demolished, leaving them unable to find new accommodation.
Raylene and Sean Wilson desperately want to stay on the peninsula to keep their children at Tootgarook Primary School.
Mrs Wilson said the family had been repeatedly knocked back for rental accommodation and were desperate to find something in the area.
The couple have four children, aged four to 10; the three older ones have already been kept home from school for a week after becoming sick from the cold.
"At first they thought it was fun but now they want their own room, they want a heater, they just want to be warm," Mrs Wilson said.
She is also concerned for her children's health, as two of the youngsters have previously suffered from seizures caused by high temperatures brought on by illness.
"If they have a seizure here, how's an ambulance going to find us?" Mrs Wilson said.
The family has only three weeks left to camp on the foreshore and hope someone can help them find accommodation of any kind.
"To be honest I wouldn't even care if the house was falling down around us; I would fix it up myself," Mrs Wilson said.
"Anything will do to get out of this cold."
Peninsula Youth and Family Services (Rosebud) program manager Susie Hero said the organisation was seeing more people struggling with housing issues.
"As the cost of living goes up, it takes its toll on people in all areas of their lives, including health, finances, mental health, and often leads to them losing their accommodation," Ms Hero said.
She encouraged those struggling to find accommodation to contact the service, which offered practical and financial support.
Ms Hero said the rental crisis was not unique to the peninsula and, while there was no simple solution, long-term government policies needed to address the issue. "What we need is more long-term affordable housing," she said.
