Not having anywhere to sleep for the night, Jessica and her partner purchased the shell of a tiny home, which they covered with salvaged materials and placed in a car park in a suburb north of Perth.Jessica* spoke with SBS News about the challenges she's faced since becoming homeless.The head of Anglicare says her service is seeing whole families living in cars and more people rough sleeping.
A 38-year-old woman, who SBS is calling Jessica, was staying there with her partner and her 18-year-old daughter. When that came to an end, she and her partner found there were no rentals available that they could afford."We couldn't afford more than $350 a week and if there is anything near that, they are snapped up," Jessica said.
They showered at the local leisure centre during the day but worried about leaving to do so, as all of their possessions were with them in their shelter which was not secure. Having a dog makes it more difficult for Jessica to access crisis accommodation as she does not want to give up her pet.Batman is Jessica's Jack Russell dog, who she said had been with her since her husband died nine years ago.So for the past three weeks, Jessica and her partner have been staying with friends.But their struggle to get by continues.