Woman and young son living in car for more than two years as wait for public housing extends to three years

A woman who has lived in her car with her young son for more than two years is just one of hundreds of people suffering because of the more than three-year average wait time for public housing in Kalgoorlie-Boulder. In response to questions from the Kalgoorlie Miner, a Department of Communities spokesperson revealed the average wait time for public housing in the Kalgoorlie zone was 174 weeks — equivalent to about three years and four months. The spokesperson told the Miner as of June 30, there were 471 applications on the public housing waitlist for the Kalgoorlie preference zone. One of those applicants is Kalgoorlie-Boulder mother Abbie, who the Kalgoorlie Miner has chosen to identify by her first name only. Abbie told the Miner she had resorted to sleeping in her station wagon on a foam mattress with her six-year-old son for more than two years after being priced out of the rental market. She said rent increases during the COVID-19 pandemic forced her out of a private rental property. Despite receiving government benefits, Abbie said sky-high rental prices and cost-of-living pressures in Kalgoorlie-Boulder meant she could not afford a rental property in the Goldfields city. Abbie said she had been on the public housing wait list for more than two years, with no timeline in sight. When approached by the Miner, the Communities spokesperson said Abbie had a priority waitlist application as of September last year. While waiting for a public housing property, Abbie said she and her son had spent countless “scary” nights living out of her vehicle with a smashed window and broken door locks. “We’ve had someone open the doors at night time, we’ve been attacked,” she said. “It’s really scary for me, but it’s really scary for him (her son).” “We put a (tarpaulin) over our window when it rains at night time. “I’ve been to hospital because of (lack of blood) circulation in my hands because of the cold.” Despite having no fixed abode, Abbie said she ensured her son attended primary school each day. But with multiple bad experiences sleeping in their vehicle, she said her son was reluctant to leave her side. “He knows it’s not right (to be homeless) so he doesn’t want to leave me, he’s so clingy now which is really hard,” Abbie said. “He keeps asking for a bedroom and why people have houses and we don’t. “It’s heartbreaking when we (organise) play dates because he has to (meet his friends) at the park.” She questioned why the government housing system to help vulnerable people had failed to provide a roof over their heads. “Every (private rental) is just too expensive, even the one bedroom (properties) are like $450 a week, I can’t afford that,” Abbie said. “We don’t understand why it’s taking so long (to find a public housing residence).” The Communities spokesperson said the department “strives to meet the housing needs of all applicants on the waitlist for public housing at the earliest possible opportunity.” The spokesperson said the “majority of applicants for public housing have access to some form of accommodation while on the wait list”. They noted the State Government’s additional $843 million investment into social and affordable housing and homelessness initiatives as part of the 2024-25 State Budget. “The funding boost brings the total investment in housing and homelessness measures since 2021-22 to a record $3.2 billion,” the spokesperson said. “Since this record investment the State Government has added 55 homes across social housing and (Government Regional Officer Housing) dwellings in the Goldfields region, with a further 20 under contract or construction.” Abbie noted the big number of social housing properties which had been “boarded up” and in need of repair in Kalgoorlie-Boulder. “I drove around and made a list of all the two-bedroom houses available,” she said. “There’s so many boarded up houses.” The Communities spokesperson told the Miner “over the past few years” the department had contracted refurbishments and maintenance works to more than 295 social homes in the Goldfields “to extend their life as public housing”. The spokesperson said as of June 30, a further 16 houses were under contract or construction for either refurbishment or maintenance. “At any given time, a small percentage of public housing managed by Communities will be vacant for a range of reasons including maintenance or refurbishment works required to relet the property, awaiting sale, demolition or under future use assessment based on community needs and demand,” the spokesperson said. “Properties may be awaiting acceptance of offers from applicants, undergoing minor maintenance repairs or refurbishment prior to new occupants moving in, or undergoing major refurbishment as part of a redevelopment.” Abbie said despite being without a fixed address for now, she was grateful to have the security of a vehicle to sleep in. “There are people who are worse off because .. they haven’t got a car, so I’m pretty lucky,” she said.