Thanks to a 'miracle' gesture from strangers, Joanne and her family were given a place to live while she battles serious health problems; but with her lease about to run out, she is again facing homelessness — in an 'exceptionally challenging' rental market.
A group of strangers paid Joanne's rent for a year — she thought she'd never be homeless again; but it has not turned out that way.
Joanne's lawyer, Mieke Matimba of the Hobart Community Legal Service, described the generosity of the strangers as a "miracle". She said she was in denial for a while before she made an appointment to see her GP in September last year.it wasn't until early this year that she was able to get a mammogram and biopsy which confirmed she had aggressive breast cancer which had spread to a lymph node.
Joanne has told her children about her diagnosis and that she is confident her survival rate is good. But she said on the weekends, after her chemotherapy treatment, she struggles to get out of bed. Joanne had hoped to get an extension on her current lease, but with rent at $550 a week and her Centrelink payment around $800 a week, her request was rejected by the real estate company managing the property.Sonia and her carer live in her car, parking in driveways or public car parks. Stuck being homeless is "depressing" she says — and they are not alone, with more and more people desperate for a roof over their heads.
"This is particularly problematic for lower income households for whom almost no rental properties are affordable."Joanne had been on the wait list for public housing for three years, before she was gifted free rent for a year. "I feel frustrated. and the kids have been through so much, none of it their fault. She's not bitter," Ms Matimba said.
"There are people waiting now who have been on the list for years, who are in and out of shelters, in and out of caravan parks or sleeping on the street or in their cars," she said. Mr Ellis said women and their children "can access many of the 20 homeless shelters in Tasmania and the 50 homes currently secured under the Family Violence Rapid Rehousing program, in addition to social housing and private rental assistance".
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