July 27, 2022
Face of Australia's rental crisis: Single mum-of-two breaks down as she opens up on being left homeless after her landlord evicted her and she was rejected from 300 properties
One obviously sympathizes with the woman below but, as a single mother, she will always be at the bottom of the list of prospective tenants. Single mothers often have money problems and that too often leads to defaults in paying rent. No agent worth his salt would let to a single mother when other applicants were available.
So single mothers should be top priority for welfare housing. The goverment can afford to take a monetary hit. Private landlords usually will not
One also wonders where the father of the children is in all this. She had two of them so it must have been a relationship of some duration. If he is in employment he could offer a rental guarantee, which agents would view very favourably
A single mum is at breaking point after two months of living and sleeping in her car with her two teenage sons.
Danni Cox, 45, became homeless for the first time in her life when she was evicted from her rental property in Beenleigh, south of Brisbane, after being told the landlord was planning to renovate and sell up.
Ms Cox and her sons Zach, 15 and Jordan, 12, spent the first few weeks living in a caravan, which was battered by wild weather.
They spent a brief stint in a motel until it became unaffordable and now spend each night parked in friends' driveways.
Adding to the frustration is that their old home has remained vacant ever since they moved out in May.
Ms Cox has applied for more than 300 properties in recent months without any luck, despite her perfect rental history and references from previous landlords.
She told Daily Mail Australia the dire situation is now taking a heavy toll on the family physically, emotionally and financially.
'The situation has gone beyond desperate, we can't be homeless for any longer,' she said.
'Homelessness is no longer a viable option. My youngest son is half-deaf and autistic, so he's not coping at all at the moment, which is heartbreaking to see.
'I have friends' places where we sleep in their driveways. There's one park in the area where you can stay for three nights but then have to move on, so we've done that a few times.'
Currently on a disability pension, Ms Cox is so desperate she underwent training as a traffic controller and is in the process of finding work to boost her chances of getting a roof under her family's head.
'I've always been a great tenant and have never defaulted on rent or bills,' she said.
'I've never been homeless in my life and set myself up to be very independent.
'I tick all the boxes and haven't done anything wrong. The real estate agents and landlords who get back to me say there's nothing wrong with my application, it's just than other applicants were more successful.
'There's no reason to be homeless, which makes it harder to accept.'
Ms Cox spends anything from $50 and $100 on food and fuel each day while sleeping in the car each night is 'cold, cramped and horrible'.
'It's easier having a roof over your head as you can budget from week to week,' she said.
But being homeless, you have to pay your way everywhere you go. There are some days where we don't have any money.'
Her former home, where she lived for five years remains vacant. She believes the real estate agent used the owners' potential plans as an excuse to re-lease the property at a much higher rent.
'I was absolutely mortified but at the end of the day, it's the owners' decision,' she said.
'It's tenants who lose out. We've been looking at units as we've been pushed out of houses.'
The thought of the desperate lengths she has gone to get out of the dire situation brings Ms Cox to tears.
'I've slept nights in my car in the park as there has been nowhere else,' she told 7News.
'I've rang the Homeless Line and asked is there anywhere for me to go with my boys, they're here with me crying and we need somewhere now and they've said 'no, nothing','
Ms Cox is among almost 32,000 Queensland families on the social housing register, where there's a two-year wait.
The list has grown by 78 per cent in the last four years.
The Queensland government this week vowed to review the social housing register following the release of a scathing report by Auditor-General Brendan Worrall.
The report found the state government had failed to build enough homes, keep an accurate waiting list and manage existing stock.
Of the 30,000 families waiting for social housing, it's estimated almost 12,000 will still be on the list in three years time.
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