Regional NSW in the grips of worsening housing crisis

But underneath the beautiful exterior lies a shameful reality.

There is a growing number of people – including young families – unable to find homes to live in, and struggling to make ends meet.

Cassie and her two little boys – aged two and four – have been homeless since July, when they became unable to afford their rent.

Since then they have been bouncing between hotels and crisis accommodation, and hoping various charities will foot the bill. There have been days the trio has gone without meals because the last of their money has gone on accommodation.

Cassie breaks down in tears as she describes how difficult her sons are finding things. One has started to stutter and gone backwards in his speech because of all the uncertainty.

“I just want a home for these boys,” she cries. “I just want my boys to grow up happy and healthy and know that they’ve got somewhere to sleep every night.”

She fears they will soon end up living at Moruya’s North Head Camping ground – which is now home to more than 50 families with nowhere else to go.

The situation there has become so bad that the park has been closed to tourists since January.

Council is also ignoring the mandate that says people can only stay for 50 days.

“In no way could I ever imagine that a council could kick people out of an area just because it’s a tourist area,” Eurobodalla Shire Mayor Mathew Hatcher said.

Kelly is one of the campground’s long-term residents.

She lives there with her 17-year-old daughter, and it’s a hard life.

There is no running water or electricity. The campground showers only have cold water. There are mice and snakes running around at night.

And the caravan park Kelly’s daughter sleeps in is full of holes and mould.

“I am so ashamed,” she says. “My daughter deserves better than what I can give her.”

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She says they would be “stuffed” if it wasn’t for the regular care packages delivered by Pauline – the heart and soul of the local Anglicare operation.

“It’s very heartbreaking. You’re sort of supposed to leave it at work but I don’t leave it at work. I take it home with me … I think the community would be absolutely buggered without us, put it that way,” she says.

She supplies people with food, bedding, clothes, and home starter packs when they eventually find a home.

That doesn’t happen often enough.

It’s hard to pinpoint a reason for this homelessness crisis because the truth is it’s been a perfect storm.

First came the bushfires in 2019 – 501 homes were destroyed in that disaster and just 122 have been rebuilt. COVID-19 and natural disasters in other parts of the country have caused delays in building supplies and materials.

The pandemic also led to a population explosion in the regions as people left the city. That pushed up rents and house prices.

More than 1000 homes in the region are holiday homes only and not available to long-term renters.

And then there’s been an infrastructure boom – that’s meant thousands of short-term workers have needed housing too. And more are expected when work begins at the new Eurobodalla hospital.

Hatcher says council asked the state government to provide worker housing for that project, but has so far heard nothing.

He also wants the state government to change the rules regarding holiday rentals, and reduce the maximum number of days homes can be let out to holiday makers from 180 a year to 90.

“We’ve got to fix the issues and if there’s little things we can do then we should do that, whatever it may be,” he says.

Everyone here is talking to us because they want people to know the reality they’re living – and they want the politicians to sit up, take notice, and make housing a priority this election campaign.