Dad forced to live in tent amid housing crisis
An Aussie dad is the latest to fall victim to the housing crisis, with soaring rent and low vacancy rates forcing him to live in a tent.
Peter Woodforde, 58, has been forced to live makeshift gazebo wrapped in tarps that's set up in an Adelaide park, and while his children know that he is doing it tough, they don't know that he is homeless and living in a tent.
The father has yet to tell his kids, who live with their mother, that he's unable to find a suitable place to live as he said that they would be distraught if they found out.
He admitted his 15-year-old daughter once told him that it "hurt her" to know her dad was struggling to find a comfortable place to live - but she doesn't know the extent of it.
Speaking to 7News, Woodforde said it's been difficult not being able to offer his kids a place to sleep.
“Every parent wants to give their kids everything they possibly can and wants to give them the best chance of having a good life,” he told the publication.
“What I say to them is that this is only temporary, Dad will get back on his feet.
“(But) you’re missing out on some golden years ... I help where I can, I might pick them up and drop them off from school, but now they’re too far for me to do that,” he added.
"I have to get myself off the street. I have to get my family into a house."
Woodforde is sharing his story because he believes that homelessness is in a “state of emergency”, especially with winter approaching.
He is also unsure about whether his makeshift tent will collapse when heavier rain hits, and hopes that more could be done to help these people facing desperate circumstances.
“We’re coming into the colder months - what’s the bill going to be for all the health problems that are going to arise out of this?" he said.
Images: 7News