A family of seven forced to sleep in a leaking tent has described what it is like to be homeless in Australia as the housing crisis worsens.
Since the end of August, Patricia Thompson, her husband, their five children, and their beloved Blue Heeler have been camping in caravan parks around the New South Wales coast.
Ms. Thompson has been using TikTok to capture her family’s experience with homelessness in Australia in an effort to raise awareness of the awful reality of homelessness in Australia.
The family is utilizing many tarps to prevent rain from entering their tent, as well as a leaky, overcrowded caravan for shelter.
In a second video, Ms. Thompson gave viewers a tour of the family van, which is outfitted with a gas stove, microwave, toaster, and kettle (see image).
Ms. Thompson informed her audience, “It might be worse.” We could have gone without a van. We were fortunate to receive one from a charitable organization.
The mother of five has shot a series of TikTok films depicting what it’s like to be homeless in Australia, with some videos garnering up to one million views.
Dozens of commentators have offered to purchase the family a new tent or send them other supplies.
Ms. Thompson stated in a separate video that they had drove to her mother’s residence to do laundry and explained why the family could not reside there.
She stated that her mother’s residence had only two bedrooms and that her landlord forbade her family from pitching a tent in the backyard.
Three children attend school, while two remain at home. Ms. Thompson is a stay-at-home mother who cares for her children while her spouse is at work.
The Thompson family has established a GoFundMe campaign in the hopes of raising $2,000 to purchase a more robust tent to replace their leaking one (pictured).
“We never intended to be homeless,” she stated.
We assumed we were going to be renting a property for a very long time, but the owners decided they no longer wanted to rent it out.
We try to make the best of it, but it’s difficult being locked in the caravan, especially in this weather, so we go for walks as often as we can.
Ms. Thompson gave viewers a tour of the family van, which is outfitted with a gas stove, microwave, toaster, and kettle, in another video.
The van lacks sufficient space for the family to sleep and instead contains a refrigerator, freezer, desktop computer, and children’s toys.
The mother of five expressed gratitude for what she has and stated that homelessness is not limited to those without jobs.
The mother of five stated that her living conditions (shown) had left her feeling lonely and despondent as her family battled to find permanent housing.
She stated, “There are folks out there with two salaries who do not have a place to live; they are sleeping with family, couch-surfing, or in tents.”
Ms. Thompson stated that her situation made her feel lonely and depressed.
She said, “I don’t know how other people do this.”
Some folks have been doing this considerably longer than I have. My hat is off to those that get up every day and get things done.
This week, the Thompson family launched a GoFundMe campaign in the hopes of raising $2,000 to replace their leaking tent with a more robust one.
Due to their huge family, they are only eligible for four-bedroom homes despite having applied for multiple residences in addition to social housing.
Ms. Thompson stated that four-bedroom homes were rarely available and that she would gladly accept a three-bedroom residence in order to abandon the family tent.
Dedicated mother-of-one Since being evicted, Jessica has applied for over sixty properties but has been rejected each time.
Due to Australia’s rental problem, hardworking mother Jessica disclosed last week that she had been forced to sleep in a tent or in the back of her sister’s car.
She reported that her landlord evicted her when she decided to repair the home she shared with her nine-year-old son.
Since being evicted, the single mother stated that she had applied for more than sixty properties but had been denied each time.
After losing her apartment, Jessica was entitled to 28 days of emergency housing, but despite applying for 10 homes per week, she has been unable to secure a new renter.
Since the beginning of 2022, rents in Australia have increased by an average of 10.3% due to a lack of available accommodation and the reopening of borders.
According to statistics from Domain, the national rental vacancy rate has reached a record low of 0.9%.