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Tools hang mere metres from Toni Gornall and her family every time they go to bed at night, a stark reminder of the fact that no matter how comfortable they attempt to make it, they are living in a shed.
With three children, Addison, Robert and Jada-Rose aged 12, 10 and 6, sharing a queen-sized camp stretcher and Toni and her husband Ty sleeping on a mattress on the floor, Toni described the situation as less than ideal.
The family have found themselves living in a shed approximately 10 metres from a house owned by Ty’s mother and her partner as they desperately search for more stable and appropriate accommodation.
They previously owned a home in Townsville but, after it underwent structural damage that was too costly to repair, they decided to sell and relocate.
“We needed a fresh start,” Toni said.
“The hustle and bustle of the city was hectic, we’d had enough, so we decided to cut our losses and sell the house for what we could get and move to a quieter location.
“My mother-in-law was already here, and they love their grandbabies, so it gave her the opportunity to spend time with them and do school trips and do all the grandma stuff, so it was the perfect opportunity.”
The family moved to Ayr at the end of February 2023 after Toni put a post on Facebook where she was contacted about a rental but, after a year of living in that house, the owners wanted to sell, forcing the family to start looking again.
“Due to the cost of everything, they needed to sell, so she gave us plenty of notice and in that time, I put out numerous posts on Facebook, applied everywhere from Cairns to Mackay for housing and when I had no luck there, I reached out to the community services,” Toni said.
“We got nothing back.
“Addison and Robert both have neurological disabilities and hubby just went through cancer, so it’s not an ideal situation for the five of us.”
That’s when Ty’s mother and her partner took the family in, setting up the shed at the back of their Ayr block.
“I didn’t care, it could be an old shed out the back of your farm, I didn’t mind, a solid roof over the kids’ head is all I need,” Toni said.
The Gornalls certainly don’t appear to be alone, with Burdekin Community Association (BCA) CEO Debra Cochran confirming her understanding is that there is a 0% vacancy rate for rentals in the Burdekin.
BCA delivers the Crisis Accommodation Program, offering participants case-managed support to find "Safe, Sustainable, Suitable" long-term housing with the aim of preventing participants from returning to homelessness.
“In our view, a misconception is that we do not have a homeless problem in the Burdekin,” Debra said.
“BCA manage five properties under the Crisis Accommodation Program and there are limited exit points for these people.
“Therefore, our capacity to assist people has limitations.
“As there is no funded service in the Burdekin for this, we try to fill the gaps as much as possible.”
Unless there is a vacancy in one of the Crisis Accommodation Program properties, Debra said the best support BCA can provide is limited to assisting and submitting social housing applications, helping to access online private rental applications, advocating for social housing, and the government rent connect program.
“In addition, we assist people to find options in other locations and use some funds to purchase tents for those at immediate risk of homelessness,” she said.
Facing rejection and the prospect of sleeping rough, Toni said the process has felt like “a constant kick in the guts”.
“We’d been homeowners for the last nine years, perfect record with paying a mortgage, never a fault and always paid our rent when we started renting,” she said.
“I’m a 33-year-old woman, married with three children and I’m living in my mother-in-law’s shed, it’s a horrible feeling as a mum.
“I was at the point of pure anger.
“I felt completely defeated, I was emotional, my mental health was at its lowest point ever, and I just thought I had to say something and speak up.”
Toni contacted Member for Burdekin Dale Last who said there are currently more than 3,500 people on social housing waiting lists in our region alone.
“My office has been contacted by families who have been forced to consider moving away from the Burdekin or sleep in farm sheds simply because there isn’t the housing available here for them,” Mr Last said.
“The issue of housing is growing right across the state but in rural areas like the Burdekin where we rely on being able to attract and retain people here for employment opportunities, there needs to be accommodation for that employee, and potentially their family, to live in.”
The future looks uncertain for the Gornalls as Dani expands her search for accommodation across the state.
“I never thought in a million years I would be in this position, and it just goes to show everyone is at risk,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, what money you have, things happen.”
Toni Gornall (centre) lives in her mother-in-law’s shed with her two daughters Addison (left), Jada-Rose (right), husband Ty and son Robert (not pictured)
